We Are All Working Towards One Solution

- Holly Johnson

Like many developing counties, India is a land full of opportunities for mass transit development. With a growing population of more than 200 million, Uttar Pradesh is not only the most populated state in India, but also the most populated country subdivision in the world. Given that 90 per cent of the state’s registered vehicles are privately owned and more than three million people live in its capital Lucknow, it was imperative that an alternative, environmentally friendly transport system was developed to ease congestion and streamline inner-city commutes.

In 2013, the state-owned Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) was formed to construct and operate the Lucknow Metro, which has already earned its place as the fastest and most economical metro execution ever undertaken in India. To speed up clearance processes, in 2016 LMRC became a 50:50 joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh. And in September 2017, the 8.5-kilometre priority section of the North-South Corridor (Phase 1-A), from Transport Nagar to Charbagh, became operational. In the month following its launch, the line had around 25,000 passengers daily – a figure that will no doubt increase once the entire 23-kilometre North-South track is opened in April 2019.