Metro means business: Plans coaching, food hub at stations

Bhopal: Indore and Bhopal Metro stations may soon host more than trains and ticket counters. Commercial spaces at metro stations are now up for licencing, with Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) is positioning them as hubs for food, retail, and even coaching centres — a nod to the state's booming tutorial market.The Metro is a recent addition to city life. Commercial operations began in mid 2025 for Indore and late last year for Bhopal, marking the rollout of rapid transit in both cities. With limited passenger services underway, officials are now looking beyond fares to build sustainable revenue streams."Our clear target is nonfare revenue," said MPMRCL managing director S Krishna Chaitanya. "Coaching classes inside metro stations make sense — they reduce travel time for students, provide a safe and modern environment and give parents confidence." Beyond coaching centres, the corporation is also inviting cafés, salons and convenience stores to set up shop, aiming to make stations everyday service points. ATMs, clinics and branded showrooms are part of the mix, ensuring commuters find practical amenities alongside transit.Education is big business in Madhya Pradesh, with thousands of students preparing for competitive exams. Institutes often struggle for safe, accessible premises. Metro stations, with their modern infrastructure and security, could offer a more aspirational alternative. Larger halls at busy hubs could be divided into classrooms, while smaller booths might serve as counselling or registration offices.Still, the model is untested. Other metros in India — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru — have focused on food courts, ATMs, and retail, not classrooms. Noise and transient footfall may pose challenges. MPMRCL has stressed that licenced spaces must not obstruct passenger flow or tactile paths, and cooking is restricted to electric reheating.For the corporation, the rollout is about diversifying revenue beyond tickets. Whether coaching centres actually move in remains to be seen. But the possibility signals how MP Metro stations could evolve into more than transit points — places where commuters shop, eat, and perhaps even study.