Phase one of Agra Metro construction inaugurated in India

The first construction phase of the Agra Metro project in Uttar Pradesh, India, has been virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The central government will allocate more than $1.4tn for the National Infrastructure Pipeline Project.

Work is also being completed on the Multi-modal Connectivity Infrastructure Master Plan.

Prime Minister Modi said: “Efforts are on to attract investment from all over the world to improve the country’s infrastructure.”

Since 2014, more than 450km of metro lines have become operational in the country while nearly 1,000km of metro lines are under construction in 27 cities.

With a total length of 29.4km, the Agra Metro project comprises two corridors, connecting major tourist attractions such as Taj Mahal, Sikandra, Agra Fort, with railway and bus stations.

The project will cater to more than six million tourists and 2.6 million residents of Agra every year.

It will also provide an environment-friendly mass rapid transit system to Agra.

With an estimated cost of $1.13bn, the project will be completed in five years.

Last month, L&T Construction won the bid to construct the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor in India.

Awarded by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL), the contract could be worth more than Rs70bn (nearly $1bn).

According to the contract, L&T Construction will be responsible for construction the 87.569km of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed bullet train project.