Nagpur: In a refreshing departure from the usual high-security convoys and red-beacon culture often associated with visiting dignitaries, Australian Consul General Paul Murphy chose to travel through Nagpur like an ordinary citizen, by Metro.
During his official visit to the city, Murphy, accompanied by a colleague, boarded the Nagpur Metro from Kasturchand Park Metro Station and travelled to Sitabuldi Interchange Metro Station, surprising commuters and drawing curious glances from fellow passengers.
Gold Rate
May 14- 2026 - Time 10.30Hrs
Instead of opting for a fleet of official vehicles amid the city’s busy traffic, the Australian diplomat deliberately chose public transport, calling the Metro a fast, efficient, eco-friendly, and technologically advanced travel option.
What caught even more attention was the simplicity with which the senior diplomat blended into the crowd. At the ticket counter, Murphy used Unified Payments Interface (UPI) through his smartphone to buy the Metro ticket, openly appreciating India’s rapidly growing digital payment ecosystem and seamless cashless infrastructure.
Passengers waiting at the station were visibly surprised to see a foreign diplomatic official standing in queue and travelling without any visible show of protocol or extravagance. For many commuters, the scene was both unexpected and symbolic, a senior international representative experiencing the city not through tinted car windows, but from inside its public transport system.
Murphy’s Metro ride also highlighted the growing global recognition of India’s digital public infrastructure and urban transport systems, with Nagpur Metro increasingly emerging as one of the city’s modern urban success stories.
