Jaipur. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of US$ 176 million to extend the first metro line in Jaipur, India, and to support plans to build a second line in the fast-growing Indian city.
Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is
the 10 th largest city in India with
3.1 million people in 2011. That is
set to grow to around 8.1 million
by 2031, and the existing public
transport system is already
inadequate, the ADB said.
Under the Jaipur Development
Authority's public transport plan,
the local government is
constructing the 9.7 km elevated
metro Line 1 from Mansarovar, in
the western part of the city, to
Chandpole, on the western edge
of the central business district.
This part of the line is due to start
operating in late 2013.
The ADB loan will help finance an
additional 2.3 km underground
stretch from Chandpole to Badi
Chopar further east, along with
two stations, that should be ready
to provide access to the central
business district by March 2018.
The total cost of the Line 1 extension is US$ 259 million, with
the Rajasthan government paying
the balance. The ADB loan will also help finance studies into a planned 23 km Line 1, which will
run north to south.