PATNA, Sept. 12 -- The Patna Metro Rail Corporation Limited (PMRC) has slated the elevated Khemnichak-Mithapur corridor for phased completion by December 2027, while targeting December 2028 for the underground stretch connecting Malahi Pakri Ramp to Akashvani. Timelines arrive as the operational stretch from Patliputra Bus Terminal to Malahi Pakri recorded average daily ridership between 1,000 to 1,600 passengers across recent months and the commuter traffic, however, is still picking up. According to official project data shared by assistant public relations officer (APRO), PMRC, Archana Khushi, the newly operational priority corridor logged an average daily ridership of 1,588 passengers alongside a total average daily footfall of 3,176 commuters throughout the month of July. During the subsequent month of August, the stretch sustained an average daily ridership of 1,067 passengers and registered an average daily footfall of 2,134 travellers. In response to growing commuter requirements for seamless transit, the PMRC affirmed that the planning, execution and operation of essential last-mile connectivity frameworks, along with dedicated feeder service networks at crucial terminal hubs like Bairiya and Khemnichak, fall squarely under PMRC's responsibilities as formally stipulated in the project's memorandum of understanding (MoU). Detailing the broader civil infrastructure delivery schedule, the PMRC indicated that the critical elevated corridor stretching between Khemnichak and Mithapur will be executed and commissioned across two separate operational tracks. The down line was scheduled for physical completion by June 2027, followed by the up line by December 2027. In contrast, the vital underground corridor connecting Malahi Pakri Ramp to Akashvani has been assigned a definitive completion target of December 2028. Broader underground extensions across the network remain contingent upon the formalisation and progress of pending JICA tenders. Surface traffic management has required tight coordination with civil authorities. Patna traffic SP Sagar Kumar told HT that the only traffic diversion put into place due to construction of Patna Metro was that on Nehru Path (Bailey Road) in front of Gate Number 1 of Patna Zoo. He said though motorable area was squeezed a bit near Patna High Court due to metro construction but no diversion as such was in place. The PMRC confirmed that lane narrowing along Nehru Path followed extensive traffic modelling, joint inspections, and consultative meetings with central government representatives. Executing firm M/s HCC has stationed dedicated traffic marshals along the corridor. Concurrently, adjacent roadways including Rajvanshi Nagar, Nehru Park and Taylor Road have been upgraded with informative signage. Active environmental protections feature 13 deployed anti-smog mist guns, regular water sprinkling, automated wheel-wash bays for outgoing heavy transport vehicles, covered material transports, and specialised concrete wash facilities to recycle transit-mixer runoff directly at project yards. Navigating deep underground tunnelling through Patna's dense urban landscape and historical core has posed major structural challenges. Subsurface soil shifts and ground settlement have been recorded during excavation work around Gandhi Maidan, Akashvani, Patna University and Rajendra Nagar stations. Engineering authorities attributed these occurrences to complex, unexpected geological conditions, active water aquifers and untraced defunct utility lines below the surface. To protect heritage structures and existing settlements within the 20-meter influence zone, the PMRC carried out rigorous pre-construction condition surveys and instituted round-the-clock monitoring utilising building settlement markers, ground settlement targets, optical reflective prisms, piezometers and electro-level sensors. Soil stabilisation measures such as TAM grouting, peripheral grouting, micro-piling, and slurry walls were deployed to secure the ground ahead of tunnelling. The first phase of the Patna Metro, spanning roughly 30.9 km across two intersecting corridors with 24 stations, is designed to form the backbone of the city's rapid transit network. Corridor 1 (the east-west also known as red line) runs 16.86 km from Danapur Cantonment to Khemnichak with 14 stations, while Corridor 2 (the north-south or blue line) covers about 14.05-14.5 km from Patna Junction to the New ISBT (Patliputra Bus Terminal) with 12 stations. The network mixes elevated and underground sections-approximately 15.4 km elevated and 16.3 km underground overall-to navigate the dense urban core, key commercial hubs, institutional areas and outer residential belts while allowing interchanges at Patna Junction and Khemnichak. As of now, commercial services operate only on a priority elevated stretch of the blue line measuring about 6.2 km between the New ISBT/Patliputra Bus Terminal and Malahi Pakri. This section, opened in stages from October 2025 and extended in July 2026, serves four stations-New ISBT, Zero Mile, Bhootnath and Malahi Pakri-with Khemnichak currently functioning as a pass-through. The remaining elevated and underground portions of both corridors remain under construction, with full Phase 1 operations targeted for later years....