Lucknow Metro


Lucknow Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Lucknow in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Construction of the line begun on 27 September 2014 with the stretch from Transport Nagar to Charbagh Railway Station which began its commercial operation on 5 September 2017, making it the fastest built metro rail system in the country. Full operation on Red Line stretch from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport metro station to Munshi Pulia metro station began operation on 9 March 2019.
The Lucknow metro cover a distance of 22.87 km with 22 stations. It is the eighth longest operational metro network in India after the Delhi Metro, Hyderabad Metro, Chennai Metro, Namma Metro, Kolkata Metro, Noida Metro and Kochi Metro.
The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation has hired 35 customer relation assistants to assist commuters, especially senior citizens in getting tickets. LMRC has also provided free RO drinking water, toilets, escalators and lifts at all the stations.
The Lucknow metro project is the most expensive transport system in Uttar Pradesh to date with an estimated total cost for Phase 1A and 1B of about $2 billion, of which is being spent on phase 1A. The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation, a 50:50 joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh, was established to build and operate the metro.
Once completed, the Lucknow Metro will have 2 Lines, the longer Red line, running from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport to Munshi Pulia chauraha with a total length of, and the Blue line, running from Charbagh Railway Station to Vasant Kunj. Charbagh Railway Station will serve as the junction station between the two lines. Further, Metro Phase 2 & 3 will consist of 6 lines of 74 km. Phase 2 will be of 3 lines from IIM Lucknow to Rajajipuram, Indira Nagar to CG City and CG City to CCS International Airport. Phase 3 will be of 3 lines from Munshipulia to Jankipuram, Charbagh to SGPGI and Sachivalaya to CG City. Phase 4 will further see metro expanding to outer areas and to satellite towns.
The current phase that is completed is between Munshi Pulia and Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. The time that it takes to go from one end to another is approximately 50 Minutes with a maximum fare of ₹60.

History

The original design of the metro project included one north-south and one east-west corridor, with links through Gomti Nagar. Estimated costs for the north-south corridor were, for the east-west corridor and for the link through Gomti Nagar. The initial layout of the east-west corridor started from Rajajipuram and ended at Hahnemann, after passing through Gomti Nagar via Hazratganj and Patrakarpuram, a distance of. However, in 2010 the design was changed so the corridor started from Vasant Kunj and terminated at Charbagh, a revised distance of.
The design of North-South corridor had two elevated sections, with a total distance of, separated by a. The length of the ramps between the elevated and below ground sections would total. When completed, the corridor would run for a total distance of and connect Amausi airport to Munshipulia. Passengers would be served by a total of 22 stations, with 19 elevated and 3 below ground. Elevated stations were to be located at Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport, Amausi, Transport Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Shringar Nagar, Alambagh, ISBT, Mawaiya, Durgapuri, Charbagh. Following Charbagh station, the line descends underground where Hussain Ganj, Sachivalaya and Hazratganj stations are located. The line then returns above ground for the remaining stations of the corridor, KD Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow University, IT College, Badshahnagar, Lekhraj Market, Ramsagar Mishra Nagar, Indira Nagar and the terminus at Munshi Pulia.
The metro could accommodate speeds up to but the typical usage would be at speeds of for the north-south corridor and for the east-west corridor. Originally, the metro trains were to be housed in one of two depots, a depot at Vasant Kunj and another at the airport, but due to security concerns the airport depot was removed from the plan.
In 2013, a report published by the Department of Housing and Urban Planning of the Government of Uttar Pradesh resulted in major changes to the metro project. The two corridor design was scrapped and replaced with one featuring a denser network of connectivity. This revision resulted in the layout of route being entirely elevated with no underground sections. The increased coverage of the metro would raise the cost of the project but reduced the operating cost per km. The reduction in operating cost is impacted by the difference in construction costs of the line itself, one km of overhead track costs as compared to for an underground track. The underground design also raised concerns about safety as well as increased energy consumption. The report also proposed the construction of an elevated Bus Rapid Transit System as a feeder service to the metro.

Project timeline

Phase I

Routes

Red Line

The Red Line was the first line of the Metro to be opened and connects Chaudhary's Charan Singh International Airport in the south to Charbagh in the central Lucknow. The line covering distance of is being extended to Munshi Pulia. It is partly elevated and underground.

Blue Line

Blue Line is a proposed metro route of mass rapid transit system in Lucknow. It consists of 12 metro stations from Lucknow Charbagh railway station to Vasant Kunj with a total distance of.

Funding

Over 50% of the Lucknow Metro rail project is funded through external debt from European Investment Bank. The Lucknow Metro has its own operating body, the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation, is a Special Purpose Vehicle and a 50:50 Joint Venture set-up by the Government of India and Government of Uttar Pradesh. LMRC is headquartered in Vipin Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow.

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

On 5 October 2015, Alstom was awarded a contract to construct 20 four car EMU for Phase 1A, based on their Metropolis design.
The vehicles are to be constructed at Alstom's factory in Sricity, Andhra Pradesh.

Station facilities

WiFi is available at each station with free access for smart card holders. Other services include free purified drinking water and free toilets.
The North-South corridor of the Lucknow Metro uses an automated fare collection system, provided by Datamatics.

Security

Lucknow Metro's security is based on a hybrid model. The Uttar Pradesh Police, which has raised a dedicated squad of 393 personnel for this purpose from PAC, provides general security, which includes frisking, scanning, maintaining and having quick response teams as per security norms, while a private security agency provides operational security, which including maintaining hygiene of the station and ensuring that people queue properly.
Personnel from the PAC were especially trained for providing security by the Central Industrial Security Force in New Delhi.
Apart from this, CCTV and metal detectors are installed at every metro station.

Ticketing and recharge

Ridership

The cumulative ridership of the metro rail in Lucknow crossed 1 million in the first 70 days of commercial operation; the rapid-transit system received 31,688 passengers on its inaugural day of services, and recorded a ridership of 41,075 on 10 September.
, the daily ridership of Lucknow Metro ranges between 10,000 and 11,000; with monthly ridership being 480,000 in September 2017, 400,000 in October 2017, 300,000 in November and December 2017, and around 300,000 in January, February, March and April 2018. As of 2019, as many as 60,000 people are using metro service on a daily basis in Lucknow.

In popular culture

In January 2017, Hindi film Behen Hogi Teri became the first film to shoot scenes on the metro premises.

Awards