Nagpur, India: Metro will buy 48 new coaches to increase the number of trains running on its network. The decision was made after the daily number of passengers in Phase-I crossed one lakh.

A tender has been issued to buy 16 trains (48 coaches) at a cost of ₹576 crore. These coaches were originally meant for Phase-II, but they will now be used to improve train frequency in Phase-I. Right now, metro trains run every 10 minutes during peak hours and every 15 minutes at other times. Maha Metro has the technology to run trains as often as every 1.30 minutes if needed.

Maha Metro Managing Director Shravan Hardikar has also planned to increase daily ridership to two lakh. To do this, the metro service will not only run more trains but also improve transport options for passengers to reach metro stations. The authorities have asked the state government for ₹220 crore to buy 300 feeder buses and are also looking at other transport options.

At present, Nagpur Metro has 69 coaches running on the ‘Orange’ and ‘Aqua’ lines with 23 trains. When the new coaches arrive, the total number of metro coaches in the city will increase to 117, making travel easier and more convenient for passengers.