The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet presided by Chief Minister Adityanath here, an official spokesperson said.
The UP Metro Rail Corporation will be set up on the lines of Maharashtra Rail Corporation, the spokesperson said.
As metro projects in different cities, through separate corporations, take a longer time in implementation, the cabinet decided to set up the UP Metro Rail Corporation.
The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation will be restructured and will be the given shape of a 'single special purpose vehicle", the spokesperson said.
Adityanath has requested E Sreedharan, known as 'Metroman' for his years heading the Delhi Metro, to be the principal advisor to the proposed umbrella body which would explore launching metro services in Varanasi, Kanpur, Agra, Moradabad, Allahabad, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Jhansi and other cities.
"In place of separate metro corporations, we will constitute UP Metro Corporation to run metro services in the state," he had said, adding that the corporation will also explore possibilities of mono rail services in some parts of the state.