NEW DELHI: Cabinet today approved the construction of first phase of the Metro Rail Project in Lucknow at an estimated cost of Rs 6,928 crore.Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi , the Cabinet approved the Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase - 1A covering 22.878 km distance between Chowdhary Charan Singh Airport and Munshi Pulia with 22 stations.The cost of the project will be Rs 6,928 crore which will be supported by the Centre with Rs 1,300 crore in the form of equity and subordinate debt, according to a release.The project will be implemented by Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) which will be reconstituted into a 50:50 jointly owned company of the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government Out of the total route length of 22.878 km, elevated route will be 19.438 km while underground route length will be 3.440 km with total 19 elevated and three underground metro stations. The metro train will ply between Chowdhary Charan Singh Airport and Munshi Pulia.The project will come under the legal framework of the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978; the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002; and the Railways Act, 1989, as amended from time to time.Lucknow has been experiencing mounting pressure on its transport infrastructure and has witnessed tremendous growth in the last two decades. As per census of India 2011, the population of Lucknow Urban Agglomeration is 29 lakhs. The population of Lucknow Metropolitan Area is over 50 lakhs.The state capital has 14.24 lakh vehicles, 80 per cent of them being two wheelers and 14 per cent cars. The city is witnessing an annual growth of 8.35 percent in vehicular population.