Overview
Metrolite is an Indian light rail urban transit system being designed for cities and areas with lower projected ridership and as a feeder route for existing metro systems. It has been designed to serve a smaller passenger capacity at a lesser cost than a metro line. The system features its own dedicated tracks that are isolated from the road. RITES has received the survey report from the Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC). Based on the UMTC study, the draft plan shall be submitted to the government prepared by RITES. After getting approvals, the detailed project report (DPR) on the ‘Metrolite’ has been planned to be prepared. The concept of a Metrolite was agreed in principle last year at a meeting presided over by the Principal Secretary, Urban Development.
It was additionally decided that the same would be made available to Sangam City commuters before the Mahakumbh in 2025. A survey has been conducted for the operations of Metrolite on two city routes—Phaphamau and Bamrauli and Andawa (Jhunsi) to Bamrauli. Either of the two routes could begin prior to the Mahakumbh. Another development is that a considerable proportion of Sangam City commuters will be able to take an electric bus before Mahakhumbh 2025. Prayagraj will receive 100 new electric buses by 2025. Electric vehicles will be added in the fleet of 50 buses by 2023. The bus maintenance will be handled by the charging station established at Naini. These fully air-conditioned buses have been proposed to have CCTV cameras for passenger safety, comfortable seats, and other modern facilities. Its operation shall also help mitigate and lower the city’s pollution. The buses have been planned to start arriving in Prayagraj around May before the completion of the scheduled registration process by December 2024.
Currently, fifty electric buses operate on five city routes. A proposal has been sent to operate 150 electric buses in Prayagraj; 50 are currently operational, and more such buses are expected to reach to the city in the coming months. Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (PWD) has approved Rs 41.88 crore for the construction of a rail over bridge (ROB) at Cheoki station in Naini on the North Central Railway‘s Prayagraj-Pandit Deen Dayan Upadhyay (Mughalsarai) railway section.
After the approval from the Ministry, now the work of ROB is expected to gain momentum. This would help in relieving daily traffic congestion for those travelling from Banda to Prayagraj. ROB had been approved five years back. NCR had spent Rs 7 crore on ROB till March 2022. ROB’s primary pillar had been completed. Meanwhile, due to some issues regarding land ownership, the ongoing work was halted after the army opposed the construction work. The PWD has now released the budget for the remaining amount after receiving approval by the army to continue with the work.
Prayagraj Metro
Prayagraj Light Metro, with two lines and thirty-nine stations, is a light rail transit (LRT) system proposed by the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (UPMRCL) for Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh. The Government of Uttar Pradesh appointed the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRCL) as the ‘coordinator’ in 2017 to get all stakeholders together and get the Phase 1 project underway. Later in the year, RITES had been assigned with the responsibility of preparing its feasibility report and Detailed Project Report, both of which had been submitted to the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) in November 2019.
Key Figures
Operational: 0 km
Under Construction: 0 km
Approved: 0 km
Proposed: 42 km
Metro Lines (Proposed)
Line-1: Shantipuram in Phaphamau – Naini
Type: Elevated
Line-2: Bamrauli – Jhunsi
Type: Elevated
Interchange Station is proposed to be constructed at Parade Grounds near Alopibagh
Conclusion
Metro rail networks in India have demonstrated how the landscape of cities changes dramatically when the metro is operational. While large cities like Delhi and Bangalore benefited greatly from such projects, their adoption in tier I and II cities also promises to accelerate development in these places. The forthcoming Prayagraj Metro is also projected to transform the city’s infrastructure and economy.
Prayagraj Metro, also referred to as the Allahabad Metro, is a proposed light rail system for Prayagraj. The metro project has been planned to consist two lines spanning over twenty kilometres. Notably, in 2019, the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) submitted a comprehensive project report to the Prayagraj Development Authority. The metro is set to open before the Kumbh Mela in 2025.
The Prayagraj Metro plan was approved in 2016 at a cabinet meeting presided over by then-Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The State government allotted Rs 175 crore in its 2019 budget to commence with the preliminary works. The rail system has been planned to have two lines: one from Manauri to Trivenipuram (East-West) and another from Shantipuram to Karchana (North-South). Line 1 will have 20 stations, while Line 2 will have 19 stations. The project’s total cost is expected to be around Rs 8,000 crore.
