The Lucknow (India) Metro Project

'In absolute record time constructing a metro route of 23 km and 22 stations' that is the extraordinary story of Indiase top engineer Kumar Keshav.

Like many developing countries, India is a country full of opportunities in terms of public transportation developments. With a growing population of 200 million in Utter Pradesh, this is not surprising. With 90% of all registered transport vehicles in the state being privately owned and more than 3 million people living in the capital Lucknow, there was a high demand for an alternative and environmentally friendly transportation option to reduce congestion and streamline traffic in the city center.

So the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) was formed in 2013 to build the Lucknow Metro, later known as the fastest and most economical metro implementation ever carried out in India. Behind the scenes of this massive undertaking is Kumar Keshav, a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and IIT Roorkee, who assumed the position of Managing Director of LMRC in 2014.

After starting his career with a 17-year stint with Indian Railways as divisional engineer and director of Geotech, Kumar moved to Delhi Metro in 2002, where he worked his way up to Director of Projects and Planning.

In 2012, Kumar made the bold move to Australia to work for Hancock Coal as a rail project director, overseeing all facets of its 510-kilometer heavy rail project. However, the love of his homeland drew him back two years later, where he began his journey with LMRC in 2014.

Curious about the rest of this innovative and inspiring story?

Kumar Keshav delivers the Inspirational Speech during the Day of Rail!