Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the ambitious Hyderabad metro rail along with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday, covering four stations from Miyapur to Kukatpally in its inaugural run. The metro is touted to be India’s largest project facilitated via a public-private partnership model.
The metro stretch of 30 km, to be thrown open for public, would be the longest in the country on the inauguration.KT Rama Rao, Telangana IT and municipal administration minister
Here’s everything you need to know.
Route
The 30-km-long first phase of the metro rail project between Miyapur and Nagole, having 24 stations, would begin commercial operations from 29 November.
In the first phase, the stretch will run from Nagole to the Miyapur station, connecting three different corridors of Hyderabad, while passing via the core city areas of Secunderabad, Ameerpet and Begumpet.
The eventual metro line will be a 72-km elevated stretch, which will be completed by 2019.
Fare
L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd, the concessionaire has fixed a base fare at Rs 10 for a distance of up to 2 km and the maximum fare is set at Rs 60 for a distance of 26 km.
Timings and Coaches
The trains on this are scheduled to run from 6 am to 10 pm initially on all days. Depending on footfall and demand, the timings would be rescheduled to 5.30 am to 11 pm.
The rail will begin operations with three coaches per train with a capacity of 330 passengers. The Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMRL) has many as 57 coaches available for use. But the number of coaches may later be increased to six depending on traffic.
Security
A contingent of 546 security personnel belonging to private agencies will guard the 24 stations on the Miyapur-Nagole stretch. Sophisticated CCTV cameras have been installed at stations and trains.
Service
Initially, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) will run 50 feeder services from and to Metro stations and residential colonies connecting them to the IT corridor. A smart card has been launched for passengers. 'T Savari' – a mobile application – is set to operationalise to provide quick interface for metro services.
Built at the cost of the ₹14,132 crore by construction major L&T, the project is seen as an ‘engineering marvel and transformational project’` for Hyderabad, Secunderabad and the IT hub of Cyberabad, reported The Hindu Business Line.
Hurdles
The ambitious project, which started in July 2012, was scheduled to be completed by June 2017, but default by the first concessionaire and subsequent logistical hurdles like land acquisition, clearances from Railways for rail over bridges and securing ‘right of way’ lead to delays. The delay in completion is likely to escalate the cost of the project by about Rs 4,600 crore, reported Business Today.
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