The Jharkhand government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren is accelerating preparatory work for metro rail projects in Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur, with planning in the state capital moving into an advanced stage.

In Ranchi, the Centre has already granted in-principle approval, following which a revised Comprehensive Mobility Plan has been finalised. The project has now progressed to the preparation of the Alternative Analysis Report and the Detailed Project Report, which will define technical specifications, alignments and cost estimates.

As per the current proposal, Ranchi’s metro network will span 51.3 km across three corridors. The first corridor will run 16.1 km from Kachhari Gol Chakkar to Nayasarai, the second 13.7 km from Pahartoli to Namkum, and the third and longest corridor of 21.5 km will connect Kanke with Tupudana. Together, the three routes are expected to cover most key areas of the city, with projected daily ridership of more than 70,000 passengers.

On the directions of the Union government, Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company Limited has floated tenders for preparing the AAR and DPR for the Ranchi metro. These studies will determine whether sections of the network will be elevated or underground.

For Jamshedpur and Dhanbad, consultancy firm RITES has received letters of acceptance to prepare similar reports, although formal agreements are yet to be signed. Officials said the metro projects across all three cities will be implemented in phases, starting with feasibility assessments before moving to detailed design and execution.