Afcons Infra Launches Kanpur Metro’s 1st U-Girder

Moments ago, workers from Afcons Infrastructure erected the first U-girder for constructing the 8.728 km elevated ‘Priority Corridor’ section of Kanpur Metro’s 23.785 km Line-1 which’ll connect IIT-Kanpur and Naubasta through 22 stations.

Weighing 147 MT, the 25m long U-girder was cast in January-end and successfully placed into position on Piers 17 – 18 near the IIT Kanpur Station in the presence of the Uttar Pradesh government’s Chief Secretary and Managing Director of Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC).

A total of 638 U-girders are planned to be erected for the ‘Priority Corridor’ (package KNPCC-02R) which was awarded to Afcons Infrastructure with a contract value of Rs 734.56 crore in September 2019. The 9 stations within it will be located on NH34 (GT Road) at IIT Kanpur, Kalyanpur Railway Station, SPM Hospital, CSJM Kanpur University, Gurudev Chauraha, Geeta Nagar, Rawatpur Railway Station, Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital and Moti Jheel.

Half a decade ago in May 2015, Larsen & Toubro’s team in Lucknow had set a record by erecting their first U-girder for Lucknow Metro’s 8.48 km ‘Priority Corridor’ in just 9 months after being awarded its contract in September 2014. If COVID-19 had not come along, Afcons’ team in Kanpur would have been on track to match, perhaps even beat, that feat.

Coming back to Kanpur – on July 31, UPMRC announced that Afcons had completed building 1300 / 2330 (55%) piles for this package’s foundation, including 95 piers and 122 piers caps.

At Afcons’ casting yard – located at the Government Polytechnic’s land where the train maintenance depot is also under construction for the system’s Bombardier train-sets – a total of 44 Pier Caps, 78 U-girders and 57 Double T-girders had been cast. Out of those, 28 pier caps and 4 double T-girders had been erected on-site.

For more updates, check out the Kanpur section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG