The ongoing construction work of Patna Metro Photo Credit: Patna Metro
Patna is excited at this time. The city is getting a new international airport, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this 24th of April. Apart from this, an elevated road is also ready. By August 15 this year, the first metro of Bihar will also start running here. In the first phase, six kilometers of track with five stations is laid. Even though it is a small line, it has raised great hope for it. In June last year, the state government has also approved the construction of the metro line in cities like Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur. With this, they will be included in the small towns of the country including Agra, Lucknow, Jaipur, where the metro has started running.
The demand for metro is continuously increasing. Especially as soon as the election comes near, people start taking promise of this facility in their respective cities from their politicians. Elections are also going to be held in Bihar at the end of the year. The best thing is that the metro is a infrastructure without any political profit-loss. Yes, questions arise about financial expenses.
Devesh Kumar, a member of the Legislative Council on behalf of the BJP, says that the metro will prove to be very helpful in reducing the congestion in Patna. At the same time, it will also play an important role in the development of towns and city around it.
Fastly spread Patna: According to the data of City Mayor, it is the 21st and 5th fastest spreading city in the world between 2006 and 2020. In the year 2025, the population of this metropolis is estimated to be around 27 lakhs, which is 2.16 percent more than in 2024. Giving the Metro gift to the people of Patna was the main election promise of the government in the Vidhan Sabha elections. At that time Nitish Kumar’s JDU was in power with BJP. Since then, Nitish Kumar has changed the government’s allies twice. Amidst this constant political reversal, the metro or future projects under construction never came under dispute.
Like Patna, whether the matter of Guwahati or Ranchi, Varanasi or Aurangabad, the demand for metro has been raised everywhere and no one has the courage to oppose it on the political front.
Rashmi Sadana, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of George Mason, who has done extensive research on urbanization and writing books like Metronama, explains how the Delhi Metro has changed the appearance of the city. She says, “Even if riding in the metro is a bit expensive, but it is not a third time saving, traveling in a very respected way, better lights, climate controlled and clean environment.
Sadana says, ‘Delhi Metro has been successful to a large extent due to its size. It is covering the major parts of this metropolis. This is not a low expensive transport means, yet a large number of people use it. Factors like saving and smooth journey play an important role here. However, in small towns it is a showing project rather than facilities. There are small metro lines here and the number of passengers is also very less. The having small metro lines in every other city is nothing short of a financial disaster. She says, ‘Despite being a metro, you cannot ignore other means of transport in Delhi, especially buses. You still have to stay connected with them. For better and smooth travel, not only metro, you will have to invest in the entire transport structure.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee also said in its report in 2022 that except for Delhi and Mumbai Line-1, most metro projects like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow and Jaipur have average number of passengers (riderships) at daily levels. According to the data given in this report, 18.6 lakh passenger rides are required at a daily level to ensure better operation of Bangalore Metro system in 2020-21, while the number of people traveling in it is only 96,000 compared to it. Similarly, this number in Hyderabad Metro was only 65,000 passengers, whereas there should be at least 19 lakh passengers every day.
The report also said, ‘The committee has found that not having enough passengers in metro projects indicates many things. Such as (i) lack of connectivity to remote or end, (ii) deficiency of parking at faulty detailed project reports and (iii) stations. If the metro is to be made the medium of comprehensive transport, passengers must discourage the use of private vehicles. Therefore, the committee recommended that ridership estimates should be based on reality and accurate. Also, concrete steps should be taken to increase the number of passengers in all metro projects.
Although the number of average daily riders among the metro is going on in the whole country, it is still much less than the initial estimates. The metro train is popular, but not as much as it was imagined at the early level.
Sharad Saxena, who leads the transport infra and policy research at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), says that it will not work only on rented income. To attract a large number of passengers, ticket prices have to be kept low. After all, the whole matter is that it is a large transport means accessible to all. He says, ‘Therefore we are in a state of a little confusion. If the fare is low, this traffic system becomes financially impractical. If the rent is increased, the number of passengers decreases, which can lead to a situation of economic crisis. He says that transit companies will have to avoid being permanently depending on the government to run this system smoothly.
Saxena says, ‘The best solution to this will have to find other means to increase income instead of rent. These include sources such as advertising, branding rights and property development. Right now, the small town metro is struggling for the same. Therefore it will be necessary to raise revenue from alternative sources.
The Noida Metro is a better example of this, where the number of passengers is much less than the pre -imposed estimates. In such a situation, NMRC, a company operating the metro here, has started a new and attractive service to increase income. People can organize similar small ceremonies like birthday party or pre-wedding in the metro itself. For this, users can party in stable or moving coaches at a minor fee. You can decorate the coach yourself or get this work done by metro staff. Magic shows and tattoo artists can also be a part of this party. People have to pay a maximum of Rs 10,000 per hour for this.
In Lucknow, the metro has started the facility of organizing programs like kitty parties, engagement ceremonies and family reunion. However, food and drink are still not allowed inside the coach here. So, is there just a means of banging for the metro states.
Currently, a network of about 1,000 km of metro lines has spread across the country. Delhi Metro is one of the longest metro in the world. Metro work is going on in 22 other cities of the country. The 1,000 km track is expected to be prepared soon.
Nitin Jamre, COO of the Infravision Foundation, said in a 2023 joint paper with Professor Sandeep Chakraborty of IIM Ahmedabad, “As the metro rail system expands, its financial losses will be overshadowed by the social and environmental benefits. It seems that the metro is above politics despite its high cost.
First Published – April 18, 2025 | 10:33 PM IST
