The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited has moved to the evaluation stage of the tender for a consultancy to prepare the Detailed Project Report for Nagpur Metro Phase III after receiving bids from two firms. MahaMetro has begun technical scrutiny of the proposals and will open financial offers once technical criteria are cleared, after which the contract will be awarded to the selected agency. The timetable set out by officials indicates groundwork for preparatory activities is expected to begin in May.

The DPR will serve as the blueprint for what is proposed to be the most extensive expansion of the Nagpur Metro network to date and will define the scope and priorities for Phase III. Planned corridors under consideration include routes along the Inner Ring Road, the Sitabuldi Koradi stretch, an extension towards Butibori and connectivity to the New Nagpur area. The report is intended to set out route alignments, station locations and interchange points across the new corridors.

Once a consultant is appointed, on-ground studies and planning exercises will commence, covering traffic and ridership surveys, origin-destination analysis, topographical assessments and alignment planning. Those exercises are expected to determine the balance between elevated and underground sections as well as the scale and placement of stations and interchanges. The DPR will also outline technical and operational parameters needed for later design and procurement stages.

The document will define financial parameters and integration with the operational Phase I network and the ongoing Phase II expansion to ensure continuity of services. Once finalised the DPR will be submitted to the Maharashtra state government and then reviewed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, with approvals required before execution and funding allocation. The planning work is designed to establish the framework for infrastructure and connectivity across the city and its industrial zones, and previous planning indicates the expansion could add over 50 km of corridors linking Butibori and emerging urban clusters with established parts of the city.