Budget Constraints Delay Lucknow Metro's Second Corridor, 11-Km Stretch To Improve Access To Old City

Lucknow-ites will have to wait a little longer for the expansion of metro rail network in the state capital, as the second line of the Lucknow Metro did not receive allocation in the state budget for 2024-25.

It's noteworthy that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had given his approval for the construction of the East-West Corridor of the Lucknow Metro on 02 January this year.

The 11.16-km-long East-West corridor with 12 stations, will connect Vasant Kunj to Charbagh via heavily congested Old Lucknow areas.

At present, the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) is operating metro services on the 22.88-km-long North-South Corridor from Munshi Pulia to Amausi airport, with 22 stations en-route. The Charbagh-Vasant Kunj route will be the second corridor in the city.

The first corridor of the Lucknow Metro Rail was commissioned 36 days before the deadline, a rare feat in completing the projects in the urban transport infrastructure sector, thereby avoiding any cost overrun.

With the project receiving principal approval from the chief minister, the UPMRC has initiated the procedure to submit the detailed project report (DPR) of the second corridor to the Cabinet for approval, followed by clearance from the Public Investment Board.

In 2022, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had presented the revised detailed project report (DPR) for the Charbagh-Vasant Kunj Blue line. The original DPR, prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited (RITES) approximately in 2011, never came to fruition.

As per the latest DPR, the metro corridor from Charbagh to Vasant Kunj will consist of a 4.286-km elevated section and an underground stretch measuring 6.879 km.

The 12 stations include seven underground stations — Charbagh, Gautam Buddha Marg, Aminabad, Pandeyganj, City Station, KGMU Crossing and Nawazganj, along with four elevated stations, namely, Thakurganj, Balaganj, Sarfarazganj, Musa Bagh and Vasant Kunj.

With an estimated cost of Rs 5,880 crore, the proposed corridor is anticipated to be completed within a five-year timeframe.

Upon its completion, the East-West corridor is poised to provide relief to the densely populated areas of the Old City, while also boosting commuter traffic in the metro, thereby enhancing the potential for increased revenue generation.