This year, our target is much bigger: Kumar Keshav

The Lucknow Metro is ready to expand and more routes have been identified for expansion, LMRC managing director Kumar Keshav tells Anupam Srivastava.

How will you rate performance of LMRC in 2018?

This (2017) was a year of achievements for us. Our corridor from Transport Nagar to Charbagh was commissioned by home minister Rajnath Singh and chief minister Yogi Adityanath and work on the route from Charbagh to Munshipulia is in progress. Lucknow Metro is the only metro which has been launched with full preparations and from Day one we sold tokens and smart cards. Even in Delhi and Kochi, they sold paper tickets initially before switching over to tokens.

What is your planning for 2018?

Our target is much bigger than ever before. We have to complete all the corridors from Charbagh to Munshipulia and Transport Nagar to Amausi airport . Not only that, we have to make the whole route ready for commercial operations before March 2019. There are four underground stations on the route. They need to be prepared soon. I am confident that the LMRC will achieve the target before time.

What about East-West corridor what is the progress in that?

All the work of physical verification is complete from Charbagh to Vasantkunj . This corridor is more challenging than the North –South corridor because the route will pass through very busy and narrow places. So digging for underground stations, which are 7 in number, would be tough. However, the LMRC has a plan ready for that. We have spotted all the problem areas and have prepared a list of solutions.

How much time will it take to complete the East-West corridor ?

According to the DPR, it will be completed with in five years after the launch of the project..

What is the present status of DPR?

The DPR was prepared by DMRC. Now they are just tweaking it again on the advice of state government . They will send a final DPR this month and we will sending to the government. After that, work on the section is expected to start . if everything goes as per plan, then one would be able to ride the metro from Charbagh to Vasantkunj in 2023.

What response is on the Transport Nagar to Charbagh route ?

We are getting good ridership on the route. On busy days we are getting around 15,000 persons per day, while on an average day we are getting crowd between 9 to 10,000 . We expect to get 4 lakh crowd once the route from Transport Nagar to Munshipulia is completed. However, on East- West corridor we expected double ridership than this route.

Are you planning other routes ?

Yes, more routes are surveyed. All metros in the world are expanding. Recently Delhi metro has expended to Faridabad and Noida. Similarly, Lucknow Metro also needs to expand. We have left an opening to expand towards Barabanki while turn of Munshipulia, from Charbagh route of SGPGIMS is identified . Another route for linking Gomti Nagar extension along Shaheed Path is under consideration.