The Public Investment Board (PIB) at the Centre has approved Phase-I of the Gorakhpur Metrolite Rail project. After this approval, the work on the Metro project in Uttar Pradesh will begin.
The state government is likely to lay the foundation of this project before the commencement of assembly elections. In 27.84 km long Gorakhpur Metro project two elevated corridors have been proposed. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 4,672 crore and it is expected to be completed by 2024.
Gorakhpur would be the sixth city in the state after Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra to have Metro projects.
The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) is executing and operating Metro projects in all these cities. At present Metro rail is being operated in Lucknow, Noida and Ghaziabad while in Kanpur the trial run for it has been done.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi might flag off a commercial run of Kanpur Metro Rail in December 2021. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet had approved the DPR of Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Gorakhpur in 2021 to streamline the traffic of the city and strengthen the public transport system.
As per the DPR of Gorakhpur Metro, in Phase-I 15.41 km track will be laid with 14 stations. It may be mentioned that work on Kanpur Metro project was started soon after the state government assumed charge.
Besides, work is also in progress on the Agra Metro project. The state government had allocated money in two consecutive annual budgets for both these Metro projects.
Similarly, the state government had allocated Rs 900 crore for the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System in the annual Budget of 2020-21.