The Nagpur Metro is an exemplary example of metro systems in Tier 2 cities in India. In an Indian landscape where urban congestion and inadequate public transport plague smaller Indian towns, Nagpur Metro has positioned itself as a multimodal urban solution that integrates seamlessly with buses, bicycles, and walkable streets.

The project launched in the year 2019, but the idea was since 2012 when the cities of more than 2 million were made eligible for the metro rail systems and progressively extended, the system now stretches across key corridors and is undergoing a strategic extension towards Kamptee, with the proposed 1.3 km extension of the Kamptee corridor is set for final state-level approval. The project has been praised for its use of solar energy to power stations, its smart ticketing solutions, and its emphasis on last-mile connectivity (Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited, 2025). This project marks a new phase for metros in India, setting an example of how tier 2 cities lead with sustainable and people-centric transport investments.

Transforming Urban Mobility with Kamptee Extension

Kamptee, being a crucial segment of Nagpur’s Metro Phase 2, is changing travel patterns in the city’s northern suburbs. The metro links dense residential areas with the commercial hubs and educational zones, cutting around 30% of the travel time as per the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (2025). By integrating bus terminals and auto-rickshaw stands, the project supports multimodal urban transport in a tier 2 setting. This integration helped in reducing reliance on private vehicles, which resulted in less congestion and better air quality, and it is possible that it is directly supporting climate targets for medium-sized Indian Cities (The Times of India, 2025).

The early users’ survey suggested that the commuters have a faster, safer, and cleaner alternative to bus services, which earlier suffered from overcrowding and chronic delays. These benefits are India’s National Urban Transport Policy goals, which prioritise public over private transport, promoting equitable urban mobility solutions (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 2024).

Other Indian Metro Systems

The other metropolitan cities like Delhi and Bengaluru also have built extensive transport networks, though struggling with overcrowding and gaps in integration with the other modes of transportation (Jain, 2024). With Nagpur Metro, it can be observed how a tier 2 city metro system can have a smoother multimodal connection from the outset, incorporating feeder buses, dedicated cycle tracks, and walkable streets. For instance, Hyderabad and Chennai have made progress on metro connectivity, yet face challenges with first and last-mile solutions (Urban Transport Journal, 2025). Also, Nagpur’s human-scaled and participatory design can serve as a blueprint for future metro rail expansion across India, especially in growing tier 2 cities.

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Planning and community engagement

The most emphasised feature of the Nagpur Metro is public participation. Here, the project teams had consultation with the stakeholders as local shopkeepers, market associations, informal sector workers, and residential welfare groups (Economic Times, 2025). These consultations helped shape welfare locations, feeder routes, and pedestrian-friendly pathways. Through this participatory process, station areas were designed to support some commercial activities and local livelihoods while still ensuring smooth passenger flow.

The Nagpur Metro project’s use of digital outreach through social media, public exhibitions, and community radio made it for the professional to engage a diverse population, from daily wage earners to students and senior citizens. This step in Indian landscape is said to be the best practices in inclusive urban planning and reinforces that metro rail in India can be built with community ownership and trust (World Bank, 2024).

Sustainability and innovation

Nagpur Metro has integrated advanced green technologies rarely been seen in Indian metro systems. Solar panels supply nearly 65% of its power needs, while energy-efficient rolling stock reduces operational costs (Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited, 2025). Rainwater harvesting and eco-friendly construction methods have further reduced the metro’s environmental footprint. This commitment to sustainability places Nagpur Metro at the forefront of tier 2 city metro systems, setting a benchmark for metro rail expansion not just in India but globally (The Hindu, 2025).

Challenges and Lessons from Nagpur Metro

Despite its achievements, the Nagpur Metro has faced challenges like land acquisition delays, coordination with municipal bodies, and technical hurdles with tunnelling through crowded urban cores slowed construction, and these issues underline the importance of early cross-agency coordination and transparent processes for future metro rail projects (Singh, 2025).

As Nagpur has set an example with the robust planning, a multimodal vision, and a people-first approach, this concludes that tier 2 city metro systems can be both efficient and equitable, offering valuable lessons for cities like Pune, Jaipur, and Lucknow, which are planning or expanding their networks (Urban Mobility India, 2024).

Way forward

The Nagpur Metro, with its Kamptee Extension, has shown that a tier 2 city’s metro system can do more than move people, transforming a city’s identity, economy, and environmental footprint. By emphasising the multimodal urban transport, sustainable energy, and community engagement, Nagpur offers a replicable template for other Indian cities. The project illustrates that future urban mobility solutions should not only focus on scale but also on equity, resilience, and quality of life. With multimodal integration, encouraging inclusive planning, and adopting green technologies.

Nagpur Metro has reimagined urban transit as a driver of resilience and equity, and other growing regional centres, from Jaipur to Lucknow, are drawing lessons from Nagpur Metro. India’s smaller cities continue to grow; metro rail expansion models like Nagpur’s will be critical for building the inclusive, sustainable cities of tomorrow.

References

Economic Times (2025) ‘Nagpur Metro’s Participatory Planning Model Sets Example for India’s Tier 2 Cities’. Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/nagpur-metro-tier-2 (Accessed: 20 June 2025).

Jain, R. (2024) ‘Metro Integration in Indian Cities: Learning from Failures’. Urban Transport Journal, 8(2), pp. 33-45.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (2024) National Urban Transport Policy. New Delhi: Government of India.

Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (2025) Annual Progress Report. Nagpur: NMRCL.

Singh, A. (2025) ‘Lessons from Nagpur: Coordination in Urban Mega-Projects’, India Infrastructure Quarterly, 14(1), pp. 44-50.

The Hindu (2025) ‘Nagpur Metro Powers Ahead with Solar and Green Construction’. Available at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/nagpur-metro-green (Accessed: 20 June 2025).

Times of India (2025) ‘Nagpur Metro’s Kamptee Line Cuts Travel Time by 30%’. Available at: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/metro (Accessed: 20 June 2025).

Urban Mobility India (2024) Urban Mobility Annual Report 2024. New Delhi: MoHUA.

Urban Transport Journal (2025) ‘India’s Metro Rail: Integration Challenges and Solutions’. 8(4), pp. 12-23.

World Bank (2024) Community Engagement in Infrastructure: Lessons for India. Washington, DC: World Bank.