Modi to inaugurate Rs 8,300 crore Agra Metro project on Dec 7

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Dec 4, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the much awaited Rs 8,300 crore Agra Metro Rail project via video conferencing on December 7.

The mass rapid transport system (MRTS) project in Agra, the 3rd largest city in Uttar Pradesh, is estimated to benefit a population of nearly 2 million.

Interestingly, Modi had virtually laid the foundation of the Kanpur and Agra metro projects on March 8, 2019. The Yogi Adityanath government has proposed light metro rail services in other big cities as well viz. Varanasi, Allahabad, Meerut and Gorakhpur.

Currently, metro rail services are operational in three cities of UP, including Noida, Ghaziabad and Lucknow, while the work on the Kanpur project is underway. Now, Agra will also join the MRTS league in the state.

On February 28, 2019, the Union cabinet had cleared the Agra metro project, which will comprise two corridors along total 29.4 km rail route having 27 underground and elevated stations. While, the Sikandra-Taj East Gate corridor runs along 14 km and consisting of 13 metro stations, the second Agra Cantonment-Kalindi Vihar corridor comprises 15.4 km and having 14 stations.

In July 2020, the Supreme Court (SC), with certain conditions, had cleared the Agra metro project, thus paving the way for the MRTS in the Taj City. The SC had directed the UPMRC to ensure the plantation of 18,230 trees during the project phase in Agra. The state government had filed an application in the apex court seeking permission for the metro project owing to the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).

Nodal agency UP Metro Rail Corporation Limited (UPMRC) has started the groundwork for the proposed inauguration ceremony, which will be attended in person by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath along with senior brass of the state government on Monday.

Earlier, M/s Bombardier Transport India Private Limited had won the contract for supplying the rolling stock and signaling system for the Kanpur and Agra metro rail projects. In the global competitive bidding process, four international firms had submitted bids with the UPMRC on February 18, 2020, following which Bombardier emerged the winner.

The state-of-art modern stainless steel trains will be manufactured by Bombardier at its plant in Savli, Gujarat. The contract covers the supply, testing and commissioning of 201 cars for 67 trains of 3 cars each alongwith the train control & signaling system for the Kanpur and Agra metro projects.

The MRTS in Kanpur and Agra is characterised by short inter-station distance of one km between the stations, having a maximum design speed of 90 kmph and schedule speed of 80 kmph.