India / PM Modi inaugurates Kanpur Metro stretch in UP, takes a ride with CM Yogi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the completed section of the ₹11,000 crore Kanpur Metro Rail Project in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

PM Modi, who was accompanied by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri, also took a little over 10 minutes ride on the Metro train from the IIT-Kanpur Metro station to Geeta Nagar in the city.

“Onboard the state of the art Kanpur metro. Heading to the programme where key development works will be launched,” the Prime Minister tweeted on Tuesday as he also inaugurated the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project.

Addressing the inauguration of the Pipeline Project, Modi said, “Today, Kanpur received metro connectivity. I congratulate you and whole of Uttar Pradesh for this achievement.”

Stating that the metro ride that he took earlier in the day was a memorable experience, Modi said that before 2014, the total length of metro running in Uttar Pradesh was 9km. “The length of the metro increased to a total of 18 km between 2014-2017. If we include Kanpur Metro today, the length of metro in UP has now exceeded 90 km.”

The Prime Minister also pointed out that before 2014 only five cities had metro services. Today Uttar Pradesh alone has metro services in five cities, he added.

The completed 9km long section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project stretches from IIT-Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The entire length of the Metro project is 32km and it is being built at ₹11,000 crore.

In 2019, chief minister Yogi Adityanath started the construction work and the trial run took place on the 9km IIT-Kanpur to Motijheel Priority Corridor on November 10 this year.

“Improving urban mobility has been one of the key focus areas of the Prime Minister. The inauguration of the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is yet another step in this direction,” according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Before the Metro project inauguration, PM Modi addressed the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur. “Today is a day of double happiness for Kanpur. On one hand, Kanpur is getting a metro rail facility and on the other hand, the world of technology is also getting priceless gifts from IIT Kanpur,” he said.

In recent weeks, the Prime Minister has been inaugurating a slew of developmental and welfare projects in Uttar Pradesh, which will go into elections next year. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government is aiming for a second consecutive win in UP.