Promoting sustainable low-carbon mobility in Nagpur

Nagpur, a university city in central India, is one of the most dynamic cities in the State of Mahārāshtra. The city is the State’s winter capital and today has 2.5 million inhabitants. It was selected as a Smart City in September 2016.

An ambitious economic development project, MIHAN, is being implemented in the south of the city with the objective of creating a “special economic zone” near the airport. This project aims to boost the local economy, with a plan to create 150,000 direct jobs and 300,000 indirect jobs in the long term.

The public transport system currently only covers 10% of travel. While the city has managed to control traffic problems up until now, economic development will lead to an increase in traffic jams and pollution.

Consequently, it is necessary to set up a safe, efficient, affordable and low-carbon transport system to support the economic and sustainable development of the city.

The Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) was set up in 2015 in the form of a joint venture between the government of India and government of Mahārāshtra. The aim is to build two light metro lines in Nagpur, on the east-west and north-south routes. NMRC has since become “Maha Metro” and is responsible for the development of all metro projects in the State of Mahārāshtra.

AFD is supporting NMRC and is cofinancing the construction of 38 km of overhead metro lines and 36 overhead stations. The metro will eventually link up and serve economic, commercial, university and residential areas.

In addition, the City of Nagpur is benefiting from technical assistance via the MobiliseYourCity program financed by AFD with a European Union fund delegation. It will address issues related to: mobility planning in the city; transport intermodality; the accessibility of metro stations; institutional coordination between stakeholders.

The project will focus on the measurement of climate impacts related to urban mobility.

• Increase in mobility and access to transport for residents, by ensuring a high-quality service: the metro will carry 352,000 passengers a day.
• Contribution to the city’s attractiveness and support for economic development by connecting the main business areas.
• Reduction in local pollutant emissions and carbon emissions, with an annual reduction of 50,000 tons of CO2.
• Promotion of integrated urban development.