Kanpur Metro: India's fastest Metro Rail project commissioned, know all about

Uttar Pradesh is a leading state with maximum number of metro cities across the nation with operational  metro rail services in five major cities; Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and the latest to join the list is Kanpur, the industrial capital of the state. In India, massive work over the metro projects is executed in Uttar Pradesh, which has changed the scenario of the transport system within the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the commercial run of first 9-km stretch of the Kanpur Metro Rail project on December 28, 2021 and Metro services for the public commenced from early morning of next day i.e. December 29, 2021.

Kanpur being the industrial city of Uttar Pradesh has been in dire need of a transport system that could decongest the city from routine traffic snarls and air pollution. UPMRC and RITES prepared the DPR for Kanpur Metro Project, it was sent to the Government of India on 08.01.2019 and approval was received from the cabinet on 28th February 2019.

The foundation stone for the construction on the Priority corridor was laid on November 15, 2019 by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath followed by the commencement of the construction work.

The tendering process for Civil construction, construction of Tracks and Via-Duct, Depot, Signalling, Telecom, Rolling Stocks, AFC Gates, Third Rail, Maintenance and Manpower deployment was done at a fast pace. The human resource was recruited in a record time and in-spite of two Covid waves, the targets were met within a stipulated time line. The testing of rolling stocks and their software were done through online monitoring system. The hassle-free process of land acquisition was done with support of local agencies – ADM , state and the central government. The legal compliance was met in sync with the protocols defined by the Government of India.

UPMRC team developed a pro-active project delivery model which was utilized to expedite the documentation process and augmentation of necessary logistics at the metro stations. With dedication of the team, support from all the concerned agencies and an able guidance of Managing Director Shri Kumar Keshav, the Kanpur Metro train operations commenced ahead of New Year 2022 within a record time of 2 years and 2 months.

Project Summary

• Total Network: 32.4 km
• Total Lines: 2
• Estimated Project Cost: Rs 11,076.48 crores
• Estimated Time Frame: 5 Years
• System Type: Mass Rapid Transit System
• Funding: Govt. of India, Govt. of UP & EIB

Detailed Analysis

• Timeline of construction of Metro Rail Project:
• Revised DPR as per benchmarking done on the basis of various metro rail projects sent to Government of India on January 8, 2019.
• Approval given by PIB for the project on February 6, 2019 and subsequently approval from central government cabinet was received on February 28, 2019.
• The construction works on the priority corridor (IIT-Motijheel) of the Kanpur Metro Rail project were inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on November 15, 2019.

Major milestone achieved

• Construction of the first Pier: December 31, 2019
• Start of U-girder construction: January 20, 2020
• Beginning of Pier Cap Erection: March 2, 2020
• Launch of Double T-Girder Erection: July 25, 2020
• Commencement of U-Girder Erection: August 11, 2020
• Erection of double T-girder completed: March 14, 2021
• Erection of U-girder completed: October 02, 2021
• First train set reaches Kanpur: October 27, 2021

The commercial run on the 09 km priority corridor was started within a record time of 2 years and 2  months from the start of construction works.

Underground construction work of Section-I between Chunniganj to Nayaganj of Corridor-I (IIT to Naubasta) continues to progress at a fast pace. The tendering process for the underground section-II to be constructed between Kanpur Central to Transport Nagar and the overhead section from Baradevi to Naubasta is going on and they will also be released soon.

In order to get the tasks done faster, special strategies were created. For example, in Kanpur, an integrated contract for metro trains and signalling system was done, resulting in saving of time in the completion of tender processes. Not only this, by ensuring the delivery of the first metro train set within 14 months from the date of award of the contract, the pace of the Kanpur Metro Rail project was expedited even more.

Kanpur Metro Rail Project will not only develop the public transport system of the city but will also play important role in changing the economic scenario of the city. The operations of the metro services will create new employment opportunities. 

The trains of Kanpur Metro Rail Project are deriving energy from ‘Third-rail’ running parallel to the tracks. There is no need for poles and wires and other overhead equipment and the structure will look clean and improved in terms of design aesthetics. This will also have an additional benefit as maintenance related problems; electricity supply which gets hampered due to activities like kite-flying, etc. will also be reduced.

The First corridor has been divided into four sections- namely the priority section (from IIT to Motijheel); Underground Section -1 (from Chunniganj to Nayaganj); Underground Section -2 (from Kanpur Central Railway Station to Transport Nagar) and balance section (Baradevi to Naubasta).