The Union cabinet on Thursday approved the Kanpur and the Agra metro rail projects, a move to boost public transport connectivity in the two Uttar Pradesh cities.
According to the government, the Agra rail project will have two corridors, which will pass through heart of the city and will connect prominent tourist places like the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Sikandra, as well as the interstate bus terminal, railway station, medical college and others.
The decision was taken a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The estimated cost of the Kanpur metro project is Rs 11,076.48 crore and the Agra project is Rs 8,379.62 crore. Both the projects will be completed in five years.
In Kanpur metro project, the length of the ITT-to Naubasta corridor is 23.785 km, which is partly elevated and partly underground. It comprises of 22 stations.
Also, the length of the Agriculture University to Barra-8 corridor is 8.60 km, comprising of four elevated and four underground stations.
The financing of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project will be partly from the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government on an equal-equity basis and party as soft loan from multilateral international funding agencies.
Meanwhile, the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation -- a 50:50 jointly-owned company of the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government -- will be restructured as the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) for implementation of the project.