DMRC pitches for Lucknow Metro work

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has assured to complete the work on the first phase of the Lucknow Metro Rail project by February 2017, if it was assigned the task, officials said.

DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh said in a presentation made before Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Friday that they would wind up work on the first phase between Amausi airport and Alambagh by February 2017.

He, however, told the Uttar Pradesh government that the DMRC would begin work only after its board clears it. It is likely to meet Feb 8.

The DMRC team also said that if the work was handed over to them on a turn-key basis, it would begin work Jan 25, 2014 and a trial run will begin on the Amausi-Alambagh route by February of 2017.

Trial runs on the second phase - Alambagh to Munshipulia will be conducted by February 2019, Mangu Singh said. On a turn-key based project, as in Kochi and Rajasthan, the DMRC will charge 6 percent of the total cost as its fee.

The metro rail project in Lucknow is top priority for the state government and is being personally overseen by the chief minister.

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet had given a go ahead to the first phase of the project to be built in the capital June 27, work on which would commence in December, including building Amausi-Alambagh, Alambagh-Mahanagar and Mahanagar to Munshipulia routes.

The north-south corridor between Amausi Airport to Munshipulia will be 22.87 km, out of which 19.43 km would be elevated, while 3.44 km will be underground. The east-west corridor between Lucknow railway station Vasantkunj is 11.09 km long. A total of 34 stations will be built.