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. 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 project is the most expensive transport system in Uttar Pradesh to date with an estimated total cost for Phase 1A (Red Line) and  1B (Blue Line) 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. 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, Singar Nagar, Alambagh, ISBT, Mawaiya, Durgapuri, Charbagh. Following Charbagh station, the line descends underground where Hussain Ganj, Sachivalaya (Uttar Pradesh Secretariat) 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 (BRTS) as a feeder service to the metro. 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 (SPV) 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 twenty 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 (AFC) system, provided by Datamatics. Security. Lucknow Metro's security is based on a hybrid model. The Lucknow City 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 (QRT) 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 (CISF) 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.