The 8.626 km-long underground stretch of the Yellow Line will connect a ramp east of Indore Railway Station to a ramp west of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, featuring twin tunnels and seven underground stations at key locations, including Indore Railway Station, Rajwada, Chota Ganpati, Bada Ganpati, Ramchandra Nagar, BSF/Kalani Nagar, and the Airport. This underground corridor, the only such section in the 33.53 km Indore Metro Phase 1, is set to transform urban mobility. It will integrate with Package IN-04 on the east side, currently under construction by RVNL-URCC JV, and Package IN-03 on the west side, being built by URCC under a subcontract from RVNL.

In November 2024, six bids were opened, but Afcons-Sam India JV and ITD Cementation India were disqualified due to technical non-responsiveness. With HCC-TPL JV’s bid being 14.08% lower than the estimated cost, the contract is expected to be awarded soon. The project will be financed by a $200 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan, pending approval.

The construction timeline anticipates groundwork commencing in Q2 2025, with actual construction starting in Q3 2025. Tunneling operations are expected to begin no earlier than Q3 2026, with four Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) deployed to excavate the 16 tunnels required for the underground section. This critical infrastructure project will significantly ease congestion, enhance connectivity, and support sustainable urban transport, marking a milestone in Indore’s metro development.