Lucknow Metro east-west corridor cost rises to Rs 42.65 bn

The proposed east-west corridor of the Lucknow Metro Rail project is estimated to cost Rs 42.65 billion and be completed in five years. The second phase of the city’s metro rail project will connect the densely populated and congested old areas of the city with Lucknow’s main railway station in the Charbagh area. The 23-km north-south corridor of the mass rapid transport system (MRTS) in Lucknow is already operational. The east-west corridor will stretch 11 km. According to the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC), the cost of the east-west corridor has escalated from Rs 37.86 billion estimated in the detailed project report in February 2019 to Rs 42.65 billion on account of inflation. “The rise in cost is in sync with the current inflation rate as per government guidelines,” a UPMRC spokesperson said, adding the revised DPR has been submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government for approval. The operational north-south corridor of Lucknow Metro had cost about Rs 68.80 billion. It was partly funded by debt and equity. Funds for the flagship projects were also raised from multilateral financial entities including the European Investment Bank. Of the total length of the east-west corridor from Charbagh to Vasant Kunj, the span of the elevated and underground track would be about 4.2 km and 6.8 km respectively. The total 12 metro stations on the corridor will include seven underground and five elevated stations.