Jaipur joins India's metro rail club

The Rajasthan capital on Wednesday joined the metro rail network club of India after Delhi and the National Capital Region, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata, with the launch of the Jaipur Metro.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the Phase 1A of the Jaipur Metro Rail Project, and said: "It is a historic day for the state and everyone should celebrate."

After the opening ceremony, the Jaipur Metro commenced operations at all its nine stations -- Mansarovar, New Atish Market, Vivek Vihar, Shyam Nagar, Ramnagar, Civil Lines, Railway Station, Sindhi Camp and Chandapole -- covering a distance of 9.63 km.

Enthusiastic people gathered at the stations since early morning to board the trains. As the metro trains passed through stations, people cheered and waved.

"I just want to travel on it. I will board it from Mansarovar to Chandpole and then come back. I just want to have a feel of it. We have been waiting for it for a long time," said Ajay Meena, a resident of Mansarovar.

According to the Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC), the project "intends to spur economic development of the city while preserving its rich heritage and culture".

The work in the first phase was divided into two parts -- Phase-1A and Phase-1B.

The Phase 1A -- from Mansarovar to Chandpole -- has been named the 'Pink Line', as it takes commuters to the Pink City area.

The first phase, costing over Rs.2,000 crore and completed in around four years and three months, has been one of the fastest project implementations in the metro sector.

The JMRC said that for first three months, trains will operate at a frequency of 10-15 minutes from 6.45 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

Officials said that in terms of planning, Jaipur Metro was set to become a good example of multi-modal integration, as it was also connecting the railway station and the inter-state bus terminal.

The metro has introduced an innovative fare structure, with differential fares for peak and off-peak hours. Fares have been fixed in multiples of Rs.5 and a flat discount of Rs.5 has been offered for off-peak hours.

"As an introductory offer, for the first six months, off-peak fares will be charged throughout the whole business day," said an official.

Automatic fare collection system has been installed in all stations.