India: Inauguration of the Agra Priority Corridor

A new, important milestone has been achieved for Italferr, the engineering company of the FS Group's Infrastructure Hub that, in Joint Venture with the Spanish engineering company TYPSA, is working on the 'General Consultancy Engineering Services' project for the Kanpur and Agra Metro railway lines in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Following the issue by the CMRS, Commissioner for the Metro Rail Safety, during the last week of February 2024, of the substantial approval to commercial operation for the Agra Priority Corridor, on Tuesday, 6 March 2024, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took part in the inaugural run of the Agra Metro with the virtual participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Preliminary construction work on the Priority Corridor began in December 2020, with the inauguration on Tuesday, 6 March 2024 and the opening to commercial operation ahead of the expected date of June 2024.   During the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath praised the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) for the commendable achievement for the city of Agra. He also emphasised the company's focus on public safety, highlighting its efforts to ensure a modern and reliable transport system.

The priority corridor is approximately 6 km long, has 6 stations, three of which are elevated and three underground, and connects the Taj East Gate station, the eastern entrance to the Taj Mahal, to the Jama Mashid station from where one reaches the Mankameshwar Temple, providing a vital transport link to the city of Agra to serve the citizens and the many international visitors attracted by the famous tourist destination.

The government's objective is to bring a world-class metro service to Agra and provide residents with modern, sustainable and efficient transport options.

This is the largest contract that Italferr has ever acquired in India, with which it confirms its leadership not only in the high-speed rail sector but also in the international metropolitan mass transit sector, becoming in fact one of the main players in the Indian engineering market where the company has been present for several years with a branch in New Delhi.