LUCKNOW METRO’S FIRST TRIAL RUN IN SEPTEMBER
The first trial run for Lucknow Metro Rail could commence as early as September with work on the project on at good pace, said Metro Man E Sreedharan.
Earlier, the trial runs were scheduled to start from November with coaches expected to arrive in October 2016. “However, with the civil works progressing at good pace, the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) is trying to start the trials earlier, so that the project is completed in a shorter time span than planned,” Sreedharan, who is principle advisor to the LMRC, said. The metro expert said the interiors and colour scheme for the coaches would be different from that of Delhi and Hyderabad Metro rails. A presentation of this was made before chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and he had appreciated the design and colour scheme.
While designing the coaches, focus has been kept on providing maximum comfort to the commuters without compromising on safety features. Made of stainless steel, the coaches would prove sturdy and energy efficient.
Sreedharan said the detailed project reports (DPR) for the proposed Kanpur and Varanasi metro rail projects were ready and the two projects could commence by the end of December 2016. The DPR for the Kanpur project had already been submitted to the state cabinet for approval and that of Varanasi is likely to be presented to the Cabinet on February 29. “It is possible for the Kanpur and Varanasi metro projects to start by December 2016, if the DPR gets timely clearances by all the departments and agencies,” he said.
After the DPR is cleared by the state cabinet, it is forwarded to the Centre for vetting and approval, since these are joint venture projects and the central government has to come on board statutorily. The DPR is cleared not only by the Union urban development ministry, but needs clearances by other departments – finance, railways and civil aviation – as well.
The clearance of DPR by the central departments could typically take 2-3 months, he added.
Meanwhile, he lauded the LMRC for meetings its project timelines after the project got timely approvals from all the departments. He further said the training of the staff would also start in October, partly in Lucknow and party in partnership with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Lucknow Metro Rail project is touted to be the most economical such project in India.