The main focus of the Agra Metro Rail Project is to provide direct metro access to key tourist spots such as the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the ‘priority corridor’ of the Agra Metro through a video conference on Wednesday, accompanied by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Agra. This division, managed by the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC), aims to provide tourists with direct metro access to key attractions such as the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
The inauguration marks the start of metro train operations on a 6 km ‘priority corridor’, finished in record time, according to Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (UPMRCL) officials.
“Agra is home to many UNESCO World heritage sites including the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Sikandra Tomb, and Agra Metro rail system is all set for seamless interconnectivity among these sites for tourists thronging the city in large numbers on a daily basis,” stated Panchanan Mishra, the deputy general manager (DGM) Public Relation Office for UPMRCL.
Following its opening ceremony, the metro rail will start running on the main route, which includes six stations over a 6 km distance.
The first three elevated stations on the corridor are Taj East Gate, Shaheed Captain Shubham Gupta, and Fatehabad Road Station, while Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Mankameshwar are underground metro stations.
The project began on December 7, 2020, with half of the funding provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), while the other half is divided equally between the state and central governments.
The user did not provide any text to rewrite.The Agra Metro Rail Project has a total expenditure of Rs. 8379.62 crore. In particular, the priority section has been finished at a cost of Rs. 2100 crore.
The ticket price for the corridor is set at ₹10 for travelling between stations, ₹20 for two stations, and ₹30 for three to six stations.
The Agra Metro, built in Savli, Vadodara, is in line with the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives. The project involves arrangements for 28 metro trains consisting of three coaches each for Agra.
The Agra Metro project stands out as a groundbreaking initiative, successfully finishing a 3 km underground section with tunnels in just 11 months.
The elevated corridor for the ‘priority corridor’ of Agra Metro was finished in 29 months, while the underground corridor was completed in 23 months, making it the quickest underground metro project in India.
Panchanan Mishra pointed out “From day one, the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has ensured that its construction activities remain green, livable, and environmentally friendly. The primary section and additional underground section of Agra Metro have received ISO 14001 certification for environmental management and ISO 45001 certification for safety management.”
Mishra mentioned that the Captain Shubham Gupta and Fatehabad Road metro stations have received the Platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council.
According to him, they were moved to a different location instead of cutting down trees along the metro corridor. UPMRC organised a tree plantation initiative covering a 21-hectare area in compliance with afforestation requirements. Trees were planted along the median of the elevated corridor, stretching from Fatehabad Road Metro Station to Taj East Gate Metro Station.
Source : Hindustan Times