Mass rapid transit system 'Metro Neo' will see light of the day soon: Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao

HYDERABAD: The Elevated Bus Rapid Transit System (EBRTS), also called 'Metro Neo project', will soon become a reality as the Telangana government has proposed to set it up from KPHB through the Financial District to Kokapet under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 3,000 crore. 

Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao, who released the fourth Telangana MAUD annual report 2020-21 on Friday, July 9, 2021, spoke about the implementation of the project in the current year.

The EBRTS will start from Kukatpally Housing Board (KPHB) and cover the entire IT corridor before reaching Kokapet. The 19-km EBRTS will have 23 stops for electric buses and it aims to resolve the traffic congestion along the Metro corridor. The project will be implemented by the Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML).

Sources said the entire set-up would be on an elevated platform with viaduct columns standing in the centre of roads en-route. The proposed stations are also fully elevated with access from both sides of the road. While Kukatpally and its surrounding areas located in the east of Hyderabad offer affordable housing facilities, Hitec City and Financial district, located in the west are hubs for IT services offering high employment opportunities. The Right of Way (RoW) on existing roads along the corridor are also not so wide. By and large, the entire corridor is abutted by medium- to high-rise structures on either side throughout. As a result, the road network connecting these areas carry heavy traffic.

Generally, the BRTS is constructed on the ground level. However, the available road carriageway is small and the government has been facing issues in acquiring properties to widen the stretch, hence the elevated corridor was proposed. The main purpose of taking up this project is to develop a self-sustainable, safe and green public transport system, which could be scaled to higher capacities in future. 

AREAS TO BE COVERED 
The prominent areas which will be covered are KPHB, JNTU, Malaysian Township, Hitec City MMTS Railway Station, HICC/Hitex, NAC, Khanamet, Izzat Nagar, Jubilee Enclave, Siddique Nagar, Mind Space, Shilpa Layout, Anjaiah Nagar, IIIT Junction, ISB Road, Wipro Circle, IT SEZs and Financial District (Puppalguda). The 19-km route will have 23 stops for e-buses