The priority corridor of Agra Metro was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other leaders took the inaugural train ride from the Taj Mahal station to Taj Mahal East station in Agra.
Metro services on the 6-km corridor will be available to commuters from Thursday onwards, with stops at Taj Mahal East station , Captain Shubham Gupta station , Fatehabad Road station, Taj Mahal station and Mankameshwar Temple station.
The priority corridor inaugurated remotely by the Prime Minister from Kolkata will have three elevated and three underground stations, according to an official statement.
Speaking at the flagging off ceremony at the Taj Mahal station, Yogi Adityanath said Agra Metro would provide world-class public transport to locals and tourists visiting the city.
"Agra is one of the oldest cities of Uttar Pradesh. It is a part of 'Braj bhoomi'. This city is associated with stories of bravery and valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," the chief minister said.
"Agra Metro was necessary to make it a centre of modern facilities," he said.
Yogi Adityanath appreciated the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) for timely completion of the first phase of Agra Metro, and said it has become operational nine months ahead of schedule.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the metro on December 7, 2020 and it was completed in 23 months, the chief minister said even as he lauded the UPMRC for "maintaining the quality" of the project.
"I express my gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for the Agra Metro and congratulate the people of city for it," Yogi Adityanath said.
Other projects such as Civil Enclave, Gangajal are also being completed on priority basis which will help in making Agra an IT hub, he said.
With the launch of Agra Metro, Uttar Pradesh becomes the state to have metro facilities in most cities, with services in Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Kanpur, he added.
All six metro stations were decked up for the flagging off ceremony. Later, Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister of State for Health SP Singh Baghel and other BJP MLAs and MPs travelled from Taj Mahal metro station to Taj Mahal East metro station.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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