LUCKNOW, Sept. 11 -- Construction of the East-West corridor of Lucknow Metro - a key expansion of the city's rapid transit network - is expected to begin by February or March, 2026, with a projected completion timeline of five years, officials from the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) have confirmed. The 11.2-km-long corridor, which will pass through some of the most densely populated and congested areas of the city, received official approval on August 12, 2025. "We are aiming for a highly efficient and meticulously planned execution. Given the complexity of underground construction in crowded areas, every detail - from traffic management to station alignment - is being carefully studied," said a UPMRC official. Traffic mgmt top priority With the corridor slicing through crowded zones, traffic planning during construction is a top priority. UPMRC is conducting surveys and simulations to draft a detailed traffic diversion and management plan to minimise public inconvenience during the five-year construction phase. Officials emphasised that the goal is to ensure minimal disruption to daily commuters, local businesses and emergency services, while also maintaining a strict construction timeline. Three-coach trains, scalable to five The East-West corridor will initially operate three-coach trains, which can later be expanded to five coaches, if needed. This is a departure from the four-coach trains, expandable to six, used in the first phase. According to officials from the UPMRC, this time the corridor is being designed specifically for Lucknow's commuter needs, a shift from the approach taken in the first phase. "In the first phase, we followed the Delhi Metro model because we had no prior ridership data for Lucknow. This time, we're tailoring the system to fit the city's actual requirements," said a senior UPMRC official. "The decision was made based on ridership forecasts and urban density along the East-West alignment. A leaner train system means more efficiency and lower operational costs," the official added. In a bid to reduce project costs and urban footprint, the upcoming stations will be more compact than those in the earlier phase. Unlike the expansive stations built during the North-South corridor development, these structures will focus on space efficiency without compromising commuter comfort or safety. "We have optimized the designs to bring down costs, while also minimizing land acquisition and displacement," officials noted. Advanced technology The East-West corridor will also see deployment of cutting-edge construction technologies aimed at ensuring minimal disruption to daily lives of citizens. For the underground section, the Metro authority is planning to deploy around four tunnel boring machines (TBMs). The entry and exit points of these machines will be the only major visible signs of underground work. "We are planning everything in a way that people will hardly notice the construction happening underground. Only the points where TBMs enter and emerge from the ground will be visible to the public," said the official. Meanwhile, for the elevated portions of the corridor, the Metro will limit the construction footprint. Only a small area will be used for building the supporting pillars, and most of the viaduct segments will be pre-cast structures, assembled off-site and transported for installation. The final technical blueprint - including alignment specifications, entry/exit points, ventilation systems and construction logistics - is still being prepared. Once completed, it will pave way for tendering and procurement processes, followed by the physical start of construction. The construction work will be carried out through international tenders, which will likely be issued in three separate packages: one each for the elevated section, underground section and the depot. Each tender will be based on designs prepared by the DDC, which remains associated with the project from start to finish. The consultant will provide technical drawings for the alignment, stations, tunnels, and depot. If the current planning proceeds without delays, physical work is expected to begin by February or March 2026. Before that, UPMRC has started preparatory work, with the tender for the Detailed Design Consultant (DDC) floated just 10 days later. UPMRC MD Susheel Kumar said, "The second corridor will significantly enhance multimodal connectivity by linking key locations such as Charbagh and City railway stations, major medical institutions like KGMU and Era, as well as prominent areas including Old Lucknow, Aminabad, and Chowk."...