The Rs 14,132-crore Hyderabad metro rail project has crossed a number of hurdles and is expected to complete two of the three corridors by the year-end.
Of the 72-km-long elevated stretch across three corridors, 66 km is expected to be completed by next year. The remaining 6 km stretch in the Old City segment is likely to take some time as it is stuck in alignment issues.
The concessionaire L&T has sought extension of time for project execution as the five-year deadline for completion of the project comes to an end on July 31, 2017. “The state government will decide on the extension of deadline in line with the terms of the concession agreement,” N.V.S. Reddy, Managing Director, Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL), said.
Speaking at Metro Bhavan, Reddy said: “Thus far nearly Rs 14,000 crore has been invested in the project. This includes the state government's contribution towards infrastructure and land and L&T has invested Rs 12,000 crore.”
Describing the public-private partnership (PPP) project, where the centre is providing a Viability Gap Fund of Rs 1,452 crore, and the state is set to invest Rs 3,000 crore beyond the project contracted amount, Reddy said, “This will serve as an Urban Rejuvenation Project.”
Reddy said more than 3,000 properties have been acquired to provide right of way for the elevated metro rail project, and the stage is now set for its rapid completion. Two completed segments of the metro project are ready for commissioning, the state government has to take a final call on the project commissioning, he said.
While the project will have 64 metro stations, 32 stations will have buildings or parking spaces. Of these, 17 will be developed by L&T and the rest by HMRL.
Electric vehicles, cycles
“Like any other metro project, we will encourage people to come out of the house and use public transport right from their homes. This will discourage use of personal vehicles to commute to the station. The last mile will be provided with electric vehicles and people will be encouraged to use bicycles,” he said.
“We are planning to set up 400 bike stations and offer 10,000 bicycles for people to use in the last mile. With the state planning a Single Transport Authority, we are keen to encourage EVs for last mile transport,” he said.
Meanwhile, discussions are on for extension of the metro rail network up to Hyderabad airport and to a couple of other sections.
“Metro will have multi-modal connectivity, integrating all metro rail stations with existing rail terminals, MMTS (multi-modal transport system), bus depots and merry-go-round feeder buses between rail stations and colonies on the same ticket,” he said.