Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated a section of the Kanpur Metro, from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel, which has been completed in a record two years’ time.

The foundation stone for the project had been laid by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and current Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in October 2016, months before the 2017 Assembly Elections in the state. While the completed section was built at a cost of Rs. 2,100 crore, the entire project is estimated to cost 11,076.48 crore and December 2024 has been set as the target for completing the project.

The new set of trains for the Kanpur Metro was built completely indigenously at French corporation Alstom’s manufacturing facility in Savli, Gujarat. The aerodynamic and modular design of the trains offer myriad features for improved safety, security, and environmental performance.

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The train cars have been built with stainless-steel and are fully airconditioned. They come with automated sliding doors, spacious interiors for standing space, and comfortable seats. There are also dedicated entrances for the differently abled who use wheelchairs and the train cars will also have modern passenger information systems. Each train will have a capacity of 960 passengers.

In terms of features, each train has 56 USB charging points, LCD panels for infotainment, and is lit using LED lights only for maximum energy efficiency. Other features include a talk-back button for emergencies and long stop request buttons for the differently-abled. For security, the train cars have in-built CCTV cameras.

The trains also sport FLEXX metro bogies and a MITRAC propulsion system for superior energy efficiency, reduced operating costs, and to ensure that the trains meet the highest environmental standards.

By the time the project is completed, Alstom will have delivered a total of 201 metro cars (67 MOVIA metro three-car trainsets), and the trains will benefit five million people.