Agra Metro Opens For Public Use From Today
Agra, March 7 (TNA) The historic city of Agra, renowned worldwide for the iconic Taj Mahal, embarked on a new era of modern connectivity as Agra Metro Rail Services which was inaugurated on Wednesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open for the public from today. This marks the commencement of metro services in Agra, the 21st city in the country to join the thriving Metro Rail network. The PM inaugurated the Agra metro through Weblink along with other metro and RRTS projects in the country.
Agra Metro is set to become the lifeline to the city's 26 lakh residents and approximately 60 lakh tourists visiting Agra annually.
The two corridors, totalling 29.4 km, will connect major railway stations, bus depots, colleges, markets, and prominent tourist destinations, providing seamless integration for the people of Agra.
With the inauguration of the Agra Metro Rail service, Agra will become the sixth city of Uttar Pradesh to have a Metro network adding to the rapid development of metro services in the state, with successful projects in cities such as Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, and Kanpur. Agra, as the fourth most populous city in Uttar Pradesh, is now poised to benefit from efficient and modern metro rail services.
UP Metro Rail Corporation has previously set records with the expeditious implementation of metro projects in Lucknow and Kanpur. In Lucknow, the entire 23-kilometer North-South Corridor commenced operations on March 8, 2019, 36 days ahead of schedule. Notably, the CCS Airport Metro Station in Lucknow was constructed at an unprecedented speed, completing the project in just 19 months, earning a place in the prestigious "Limca Book of Records."
Similarly, in Kanpur, the construction of the 9-kilometre elevated corridor between IIT Kanpur and Motijheel was completed within a remarkable timeframe of 2 years and 2 months. The inauguration of the Agra Metro Rail Service reflects the nation's commitment to fostering sustainable urban development, improving connectivity, and enhancing the overall quality of life for its citizens.
Innovation and Construction Marvel
Agra Metro is a testament to innovation and construction marvel, completing a 3 km underground stretch, including an underground tunnel, in a record 11 months. The Priority Corridor's elevated and underground sections were completed in 29 and 23 months, respectively, marking it as the fastest underground metro project in India.
How It Was Done?
• Standardization of Metro Systems reduced time by one year. UPMRC is the First Metro Organization in the Country to adopt the same Metro Rail System in Two cities, Kanpur and Agra.
• Common tender for Kanpur and Agra Metro Projects in Signalling and Rolling Stocks proved very beneficial in saving cost and time.
• UPMRC saved almost Rs 100 crores in Rolling stock designing due to common systems. This led to unparalleled cost optimisation.
• Standardization of Civil and Systems work reduced the completion time.
• Setting short-term and long-term goals to complete the work along with regular weekly reviews of the project expedited the pace of work.
Agra Metro - Green Metro
From day one, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has ensured that its construction activities are green, sustainable and environment friendly.
• The priority section and additional underground section of Agra Metro have received ISO 14001 certification for environmental management and ISO 45001 certification for safety management. The Three elevated stations of Agra namely Taj East Gate, Shaheed Captain Shubham Gupta and Fatehabad Road metro stations have been awarded the Platinum rating of the Indian Green Building Council.
• To prevent deforestation, instead of cutting the trees coming in the alignment of the metro corridor, they were transplanted to another place. Tree plantation has also been done along the area of 21 hectares under mandatory afforestation by UPMRC.
Technological Advancements
• Agra Metro Rail Project leverages state-of-the-art technology, including a regenerative braking system that recycles energy for further train operations.
• Operations will be managed from a world-class control centre, ensuring efficient train operations and comprehensive CCTV monitoring by the Uttar Pradesh Police.