First phase of Lucknow Metro flagged off

Lucknow: The much-awaited first phase of Lucknow Metro services was inaugurated here today, jointly by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. However, the public services will commence from tomorrow. The dignitaries inaugurated the Lucknow Metro by pushing a button.

On the occasion, Mr Adityanath said the Lucknow metro was just the beginning. In coming years, the rail services would be extended to Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Agra, Meerut and some other cities. The CM announced that a UP Metro Rail Corporation would be set up to that it will take up the projects in these cities with Metroman E Shreedharan to assist the state government.

He also congratulated the people of the state capital for getting the latest technology Lucknow Metro which will certainly end their woes in traffic congestion and other problems. "The people of the state capital will now get cheap transport facility by commencement of the Lucknow Metro," he said and congratulated Metroman and chief advisor Shreedharan and LMRC MD Kumar Keshav. UP Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma, along with state ministers Brajesh Pathak, Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Ashutosh Tandon along and others were present at the function.

The LMRC MD said the 8.5 km long ‘Priority Corridor’ from Transport Nagar to Charbagh will be made operational for the public from tomorrow. He said the services will be available from 0600 hrs to 2200 hrs every day with five trains of four coaches each would ferry around 3 lakh passengers per day and the trains will make 135 rounds per day. Passengers would get trains every 7 minutes at all the eight stations in the first phase. Lucknow Metro will be the first Metro project in the country to be executed and made operational for the public in just less than three years.

No other Metro has ever been able to achieve this feat in such a short and stiff time-frame as compared with Lucknow Metro’s strength in project deliverance, said the MD. With this, Lucknow Metro has fulfilled the dream and aspirations of the people of Lucknow and the city will catapult itself in the league of ‘Metro’ cities in India. LMRC had already announced fare structure and passengers have to pay Rs 30 for journey from Transport Nagar to Charbagh.

However, the corporation had announced fare structure for the entire 23 kms North-South (Phase 1A) Metro Corridor from Chaudury Charan Singh airport to Munshipulia with lowest being Rs 10 for travelling just one station and highest of Rs 60 for travelling all the stations of the corridor. To promote regular commuters and usage of Smart Card ('GoSmart') travel, a discount of 10 per cent of the ticket value will be provided on travel by Smart Card.

Rs 100 will be in the form of security deposit, to be refunded on return of the Smart Card. LMRC has already sold over 4, 000 smart cards so far. LMRC had got the clearance from the Commissioner Metro Rail Safety(CMRS) to run the commercial trains on the first phase of the route between Transport Nagar to Charbagh on August 14 last. Mr Satish Kumar Pandey, Commissioner Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) gave his certification to LMRC for commencing the revenue/commercial operations of its Metro services for public ridership, after inspecting the trial run of Metro train at the maximum operating speed of 80 kmph and inspecting other security measures and passengers facilities.

The North-South corridor to connect Amausi airport to Munshipulia and cover a distance of 23 kilometres, including 19.051 km elevated , 0.774 km ramp and 3.053 km underground is likely to be completed by March 2019. This corridor will have a total 22 stations, including 19 overhead and 3 underground. The elevated stations would have included the Airport terminal, Amausi, Transport Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Sringaar Nagar, Alambagh, Bus stand, Mawaiya, Durgapuri, Charbagh.

This shall be followed by an underground section that will include Hussainganj, Sachivalaya (Uttar Pradesh Secretariat) and Hazratganj. Here after, the track will be elevated again, stations in the sequence are KD Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow University, IT College, Badshahnagar, Lekhraj Market, Ramsagar Mishra Nagar, Indira Nagar and last terminus Munshi Pulia. (UNI)