Metro & Road Works Paralyse 64% Bus Routes In Nagpur

Time of India

2 days ago

Nagpur: Travelling has become a daily nightmare for thousands of Nagpur Municipal Corporation run-Aapli Bus commuters, with 86 out of 135 routes (or 64%) affected by delays and diversions, leading to an increase in travel time between half an hour to over an hour.
The disruptions, triggered by Metro construction, road and flyover works, and weekly markets, have crippled public transport across all seven city depots.
A route-wise analysis from Patwardhan, Wathoda, Hingna, Koradi, Khapri Naka, Wadi, and Orange Street depots reveals citywide chaos. Core areas like Cotton Market, Loha Pul, Sakkardara square, Law College stretch, Mankapur ring road, and Koradi naka are repeated choke points, plagued by overlapping infrastructure projects.
"We get stuck near Cotton Market or Mankapur for nearly half-an-hour daily. Sometimes we have to skip stops or terminate midway because passengers start raising hue and cry. We don't get any real-time updates," said an Aapli Bus driver from Wadi depot, requesting anonymity.
Details obtained from NMC's transport department revealed that Wadi depot has the highest disruption rate, with all routes affected by flyover construction near Loha Pul, Metro works at Kamptee, and severe congestion around Law College.
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At Orange Street depot, 100% of routes are impacted due to Metro-related blockages along the Hingna corridor and Loha Pul flyover diversions, it revealed.
As per an analysis of depot-wise route disruptions, Hingna depot reports significant issues on most routes due to Metro construction near Hingna Gramin Hospital, flyover works, and craters-riddled road surfaces that slow down movement. At Wathoda depot, nearly two-thirds of the network is affected by bridge construction at Loha Pul, congestion near MIDC industrial zones, and traffic snarls around residential clusters, the report added.
The report revealed that Patwardhan ground depot, covering central Nagpur, sees major disruptions at Rani Durgawati Square, Cotton Market, and Sakkardara due to ongoing Metro and overbridge construction coupled with weekly market congestion. Koradi depot struggles with gridlocks at Koradi Naka and Lonkhairi Phata, compounded by wrong-side vehicle movement and overbridge works, the analysis suggests.
Khapri Naka depot routes are affected by persistent jams around MIDC Butibori and construction activity on key link roads, which includes stretches under Metro construction.
This is affecting the Aapli Bus service very hard as commuters bear the brunt, admitted a senior official. Despite best and reliable service, the NMC is not able to gain the confidence of passengers, the official pointed out.
"I waited 45 minutes for a bus at Sakkardara square. No updates—just uncertainty," said Asha Taksande, a commuter. "It's like we're on our own."
Though NMC has introduced GPS-based real-time tracking facility for android phone users, passenger communication remains inadequate.
Many bus shelters lack proper signage or digital alerts, leaving commuters uninformed about diversions or delays.
Transport experts emphasise the urgent need for inter-agency coordination, advanced diversion notices, and live updates at bus stops to ease commuter distress. With several disrupted routes catering to AIIMS, industrial belts, educational hubs, and densely populated localities, the lack of reliable transit alternatives is worsening the urban commute.