Story Content

The Visakhapatnam Metro Rail Project, also known as Vizag Metro is evolving fast into being one of the most ambitious transit projects in Tier-2 cities in India. With many years of planning, feasibility research and approval of its funding, the project got a significant boost in early 2026 when the Phase 1 Detailed Project Report (DPR), and financial model were approved by the Union Cabinet.

Phase 1 Overview

The first stage covers 77.5 km and has three corridors:

• Corridor 1 (Blue Line): Tagarapuvalasa -Bhogapuram Airport (via NH-16)- 42 km.
• Green Line (corridor 2): Anandapar- Pendurthi -Sabbavaram -22 km.
• Red Line (Corridor 3): Vizag steel plant- Gajuwaka-NAD Junction- 13.5km.

Projected price: 18,700-19,200 crore (including investment by the central government and state government in addition to the multilateral loans, ADB/JICA). The project will include 65 uplifted stations, modern day driverless train services and connectivity with the future Bhogapuram International Airport and outer ring road.

Recent Developments (2025–2026)

February 2026: Andhra Pradesh government entered the MoU with IRCON International Ltd to provide the management consultation of the project.

• January 2026: Complex engineering survey the work was done; the land acquisition process was proceeded in the major sections (primarily the NH-16 copy) faster.
• 2025 December: ₹12,000 crore tranche of funding was cleared by the Union Cabinet; the amount of state commitment was ₹3,500 crore.
• Clearances of environment and forest assured on major alignments.
• Civil works, rolling stock, and signalling tenders that are likely to be floated by mid-2026.

Timeline & Phasing

• The project should commence phase 1 in Q3 2026.
• Section 1 (probably Anandaparum -Pendurthi) planned to be commissioned by 203031.
• Complete Phase 1 operational objective: 203334.
• Phase 2 (Extensions to anakapalli, Vizianagaram and inner city loop) which is planned to be imposed after 2035.

Vision & Impact

Vizag Metro will help to relieve the congestion of the arterial roads of the city (the traffic of NH-16 surpasses 1.5 lakh PCU/day), decrease the time spent on going to Tagarapuvalasa to Vizag Steel Plant by more than 2 and less than 60 minutes, and help to support the rapid growth of the city. The development of the project is projected to generate more than 50,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities during the construction process and 5,000 + permanent employment opportunities after commencing to operations. It will also be incorporated with the bus rapid transit, electric buses fleet, and proposed coastal tourism corridor of Vizag.

When mentioning the transformation of the transformation of Visakhapatnam into a world-class smart industrial and port city, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu referred to it as the backbone of the transformation. The project will support the objectives of urban mobility in India in the National Urban Transport Policy and Smart Cities Mission.

The hurdles still exist such as acquisition of land in congested regions, issues of the environment within the coasts and delays in funds, however, the political goodwill and recent evictions have created a clear runway to the Vizag Metro. By the early 2030s, the residents and tourists will have a modern and high-level metro network that will determine the new meaning of mobility in one of the fastest-growing metropolises in India.