Patna: The alignment of the Patna metro near Patna Zoo is set for a minor change to ensure underground construction does not touch the zoo boundary. The modification is part of the design exercise and does not involve any major change to project.Patna Metro Rail Corporation Limited (PMRCL) managing director Sandeep Kumar R Pudkalkatti held a meeting with officials and agencies concerned to review the design and construction plans near the zoo. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), nodal agency for the project, has been asked to work out the revised alignment.Officials said even a small intrusion into the zoo premises would require several clearances and no-objection certificates from authorities. “Such approvals could involve a lengthy procedure and affect the construction schedule. The revised alignment will, therefore, keep the metro infrastructure away from the zoo boundary while remaining within the road-side corridor,” a PMRCL official told this newspaper on Saturday.“The change is only a slight adjustment in the alignment. There is no major modification to the project. The idea is to ensure that the zoo area is not touched and the alignment remains within the road area,” an official said.The adjustment is important as the underground section will involve tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Four TBMs are scheduled to be lowered into the shaft near Patna Zoo in Nov. Two machines will work towards Patna Junction for the up and down tunnels, while the other two will move towards Rukanpura station.Corridor I is 17.93km long, including 10.5km underground and 7.39km elevated. The first underground stretch is planned between Patna Junction and Rukanpura, followed by the Patna Junction-Mithapur section. It also includes the elevated Patliputra-Danapur stretch. Construction of the elevated Khemnichak-Mithapur section is progressing, with services targeted for June 2027.Corridor II is 14.55 km long, including 7.8 km underground. Metro services are running on the 6.2-km elevated section covering ISBT, Zero Mile, Bhootnath and Malahi Pakri. Khemnichak is a pass-through station at present and is targeted to be operationalised in Nov 2026.The underground section, covering Rajendra Nagar, Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, Patna University, PMCH, Gandhi Maidan, Akashvani and Patna Junction, is under construction. TBM work is likely to be completed by Oct, after which finishing work, cabling and tunnel laying will be taken up.
