Priority routes for Kanpur Metro finalised

In a fresh impetus to urban transport in Kanpur, the priority route for metro rail project in the city has been finalised, an official said on Thursday.

While work is already underway on a phase in Lucknow Metro Rail, the Kanpur project is also being prioritised.

Other than the 35 km priority route, a blue print for two additional routes of nine km between Kanpur Medical college or Kanpur university was also being prepared, the official informed.

The proposed Kanpur Metro Rail route includes IIT, Rawatpur, Bada Chauraha, Motimahal, central Jhakarkati and Naubasta.

The Akhilesh Yadav government has decided to bring Metro Rail in four major Uttar Pradesh cities -- Agra, Varanasi, Meerut and Kanpur.

Metro services are already operational in Noida and Ghaziabad.

This makes Uttar Pradesh the only state in the country to have metro services in more than one city.

The Metro Rail, as per initial detailing made will have routes of 35 km in Kanpur, 25 km in Meerut, 25 km in Varanasi and 25 km in Agra.

Officials of the urban development department told IANS that a presentation on the proposed priority route for Kanpur Metro Rail was made earlier this week after a threadbare techno-feasibility test was conducted on the routes.

It is hoped that a detailed project report (DPR) on the Kanpur Metro Rail would be completed within the next six months and submitted to the state government.