PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Kanpur Metro

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 5-kilometre stretch of the underground Kanpur Metro. Of this, one completed station—Kanpur Central Metro Station—and 2.4 km of tunnelling have been executed by infrastructure major Afcons Infrastructure Ltd.

Afcons led consortium is executing the KNPCC-06 package, which was awarded on March 14, 2022. The project includes design and construction of a 3.826 km underground stretch comprising three metro stations: Kanpur Central, Jhakarkatti, and Transport Nagar, two twin tunnels bored using two shield Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), with others.

Tunnelling along this stretch posed significant challenges due to the presence of dilapidated buildings. However, Afcons successfully navigated these complexities and completed the tunnelling work safely and efficiently.

Construction of Kanpur Central Station, which began in December 2022, and the tunneling works between Kanpur Central and Nawabganj, initiated in August 2023, have both been completed.

Afcons, which has been associated with Kanpur Metro since its early phases, was previously responsible for the Priority Section under package KNPCC-02. This package included an elevated viaduct and nine elevated stations from IIT Kanpur to Motijheel. Afcons completed this section in record time despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The section was commissioned and opened to the public in June 2021.