Agra/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the priority corridor of Agra Metro Wednesday with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other leaders taking the inaugural train ride from the Taj Mahal station to Taj Mahal East station in Agra.

Metro services on the 6-km corridor will be available to commuters from Thursday onwards.

The train stops at Taj Mahal East Station, Captain Shubham Gupta Station, Fatehabad Road Station, Taj Mahal Station, and Mankameshwar Temple Station.

The priority corridor inaugurated remotely by PM Modi from Kolkata will have three elevated and three underground stations, an official statement said.

Speaking at the flagging-off ceremony at the Taj Mahal station, Yogi Adityanath said Agra Metro would provide world-class public transport to locals and tourists visiting the city.

"Agra is one of the oldest cities of Uttar Pradesh. It is a part of 'Braj bhoomi'. This city is associated with stories of bravery and valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," the chief minister said.

"Agra Metro was necessary to make it a centre of modern facilities," he said.

Yogi Adityanath appreciated the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) for the timely completion of the first phase of Agra Metro and said it has become operational nine months ahead of schedule.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the metro on Dec 7, 2020, and the project was completed in 23 months.

"I express my gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for the Agra Metro and congratulate the people of the city for it," Yogi Adityanath said.

"Other projects such as Civil Enclave, and Gangajal are also being completed on a priority basis which will make Agra an IT hub," he said.

With the launch of Agra Metro, Uttar Pradesh became a state to have metro facilities in most cities including Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Kanpur.