Prayagraj: The Metrolite project just got a boost, with the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) finalizing a plot at Cheoki (Naini) for the depot of the project’s second route.Estimated to cost over Rs 12,000 crore, the project is expected to significantly improve public transport connectivity and ease traffic pressure in the rapidly expanding city.The authority has identified land belonging to a closed private company along Mirzapur Road for the facility after dropping the earlier proposal to build the depot on Army land in the Chheoki area. PDA officials conducted a site inspection and completed land demarcation for the depot, clearing a key hurdle in the project.Under the proposed urban transit plan, the Metrolite system will operate across a 44km network in the city, with 39 stations and two depots for maintenance and operational purposes. While one depot has been planned in the Jhunsi area near Kanhihar Lake City, the newly finalised site at Cheoki will serve the second corridor.According to officials, each depot will be developed over 14 hectares to accommodate train maintenance, stabling lines, and operational infrastructure.The Metrolite network has been planned on two corridors — Bamrauli to City Lake Jhunsi and Shantipuram to Chheoki — to connect major residential, institutional, and commercial pockets of the city. With several halts located at major localities along the respective routes between the starting and end stations, the Parade Ground has been proposed as the central interchange station linking both routes.Officials said the decision to shift the depot location was taken to avoid procedural complications linked to defence land and ensure faster execution.
