PATNA: State urban development and housing department (UDHD) minister Suresh Kumar Sharma on Sunday said the 31.39-km long Patna metro rail, the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Begusarai, would become operational by 2024 While laying the foundation for the project at a parallel function at gate number 1 of Patna zoo on Sunday, Sharma said work on the Rs 13,365.77-crore project would begin in six months. “We will start process of site investigation and selection of agency for loan this year. The bidding process will also start soon and the tenders will be awarded to the selected firms by mid-2020,” Sharma said.A company, Patna Metro Rail Corporation Limited, has been approved by the cabinet. UDHD special secretary Sanjay Dayal has been nominated as its director.“The construction of viaduct and tunnels will start from next year and complete by the end of 2022. Similarly, construction of stations and depots will also be done. Work related to coaches and their running on the track has been targeted to be completed by 2023 and commercial operations will begin in the next five years,” Dayal said.According to the detailed project report, revenues will be generated through an automated fare collection system, advertisement and parking. The target for revenue collection is Rs 1,228 crore by 2024. The metro trains will run at a speed of 85km/hour. Its average speed limit will be 35km/hour.The metro rail will run in two corridors — the 16.94km-long-east-west corridor covering Danapur, Patna Junction, Bailey Road and Mithapur bus stand. The 14.45km-long-north-south corridor will connect Patna Junction with the proposed bus stand at Bairiya via Gandhi Maidan, Patna Medical College and Hospital and Rajendra Nagar Terminal railway station.Around 5.43 lakh passengers are expected to travel from the east-west corridor on a daily basis by 2024. The number is expected to touch 12.32 lakh by 2051. Similarly, in north-south corridor, around 3.31 lakh passengers are likely to travel per day.Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the urban population is expected to reach 60 crore by 2030. “Metro will be an important mode of communication in the city,” Puri said.

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