Hyderabad Metro one of the best Metros in the world: French National Railway Company

HYDERABAD: French National Railway Company chairman Mr Guillaume Pepy on Saturday said that is one of the best Metros in the world and its performance indicates far superior to those of the mother Metros.

Mr Pepy along with his senior officers who called on Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) Managing Director NVS Reddy at Metro Rail Bhavan here hailed the Hyderabad Metro Rail's Public-Private Partnership (PPP) experiment as a bold initiative.

The Rs 2.68 lakh crore SNCF group has five major Rail companies including Keolis and Systra and it has a worldwide footprint, apart from running the French Railways.

Exchanging their mutual experiences and innovative practices of SNCF and HMRL, the two Rail Heads discussed on the possible areas of mutual cooperation.

Explaining the unique features of Hyderabad Metro Rail which is the world's largest Metro Rail project in PPP mode and the innovations made by it in station design, its construction challenges and financial innovation, Mr Reddy shared Telangana government's vision for the development of Hyderabad as a global city and Hyderabad Metro Rail phase-II expansion plans.

Indicating that its group company Keolis is operating several Metro Rail, Light Rail, Tramway and Bus systems in different cities across the globe, the SNCF Chairman highlighted that Hyderabad Metro stood number one in a recent survey in terms of passenger satisfaction, operational performance, punctuality and among them.

Impressed by the visionary approach of using Hyderabad Metro as an important instrument to improve the streetscape and pedestrian facilities in the city and the tact with which the construction hurdles were successfully tackled, Mr Pepy requested Mr Reddy to visit their Railway Headquarters and facilities in France, address senior SNCF officials and share the Hyderabad Metro success story with them.

SNCF Board Director Ms Agnes Ogier and Mr Eric Moiner, Managing Director, Keolis Hyderabad MRTS also participated in the discussions.