Lucknow, Jul 5 (IANS): A Malaysian firm has expressed interest in building the proposed Agra-Lucknow expressway, which is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities by almost half, an official said here Friday.

A delegation of Malaysia's Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) met Uttar Pradesh government officials Thursday and expressed their interest in the multi-million dollar project, an official told IANS.

The firm was told that it could join the greenfield project as a developer and was advised to follow the tender process.

"The state government is keen on inviting right companies for this ambitious project. The officials of the Malaysian firm were told that they could take part in the tender process, for which request for qualification (RFQ) can be submitted till July 15," the official said.

Earlier, CIDB's chief executive officer Judin Bin Abdul Karim had met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the firm had expressed interest in the Lucknow Metro project, building of flyovers, bridges and highways in the state.