LUCKNOW, May 19 -- The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Monday approved major proposals linked to the expansion of metro rail infrastructure in Lucknow and Agra, giving a fresh push to urban mobility projects in the state. At the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, approval was granted to the execution of a tripartite MoU for the Lucknow Metro Phase-1B East-West Corridor project connecting Charbagh to Vasant Kunj. The Centre, the UP government and the UP Metro Rail Corporation Ltd will ink the MoU. The Rs.5,801.05-crore project will be funded equally by the Centre and the state government. Briefing the media after the meeting, finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said the detailed project report for the corridor had already been approved by the UP Cabinet in March 2024, while the ministry of housing and urban affairs cleared the project cost on September 3, 2025. The UP Cabinet also approved the draft MoU, vetted by the law department, which defines the responsibilities and obligations of the Centre, the state government, and UPMRC for project implementation. In another decision, the transfer of land for the Agra Metro Rail Project under Corridor-II connecting Agra Cantt to Kalindi Vihar was also cleared. Under the proposal, 550 square metres of vacant nazul land located within the regional employment office campus at Chak Avval in Agra Sadar tehsil will be transferred to UPMRC for the construction of a metro station and viaduct section. The proposal followed requests from the Agra district administration and UPMRC. The state government approved the transfer of the land free of cost by granting exemption at the prevailing district circle rate, subject to certain terms and conditions. "The twin decisions are crucial steps towards accelerating metro infrastructure projects in UP's major urban centres," said Sushil Kumar, MD, UPMRC....