Double-decker Metro to come up in Hyderabad

The public transport in the city of Hyderabad is going to improve further as the city is proceeding through the fast lane of development in the country.

Therefore, the state government has plans to expand the Metro Rail further and the state Cabinet gave its green signal to implement the third phase of the Metro Rail at a cost of Rs 69,100 crore.

The first phase of the Metro Rail development works are through by 70%. Metro Rail is operational on Miyapur-LB Nagar, Jubilee Station-MGBS, Nagole-Raidurg routes.

In the second phase, the CM laid the foundation stone for the development of Metro Rail facility from Rayadurg to Shamshabad.

Further, plans have been prepared for development of BHEL-Lakdi-ka-pul, Nagole-LB Nagar, MGBS-Falaknuma routes.

Currently, the state government is gearing up to launch the third phase of the Metro Rail project.

A double-decker fly-over like Metro Rail route would be developed from Jubilee Bus station to Tumukunta. At the first level, all vehicles would be allowed to commute, while the Metro Rail route would be developed at the next level. There would-be 17 Metro Rail stations along the 17-km-long route.

From the stretch of Paradise to Kandlakoya on Adilabad-Nagpur route, a double-decker flyover Metro Rail would be developed for a distance of 12 km having 10 stations.

On the 13-km-long BHEL-Patancheru-Isnapur route, eight Metro Rail stations would be built.

Another route would be developed linking Miyapur with Lakdi-ka-pul.

Another route to be developed in the third phase would be the 13-km-long LB Nagar-Hayath Nagar route, separated by 13 km and having eight stations.

Another route is proposed to be developed linking Uppal to Bibi Nagar to Ghatkesar. The 25-km-long route would have 10 stations.

The 28-km-long Shamshabad-Kothur-Shad Nagar route would have six stations.

The Metro Rail route from Tarnaka to ECIL, separated by 8 km, would have five stations.

There is a plan to develop Metro Rail all along the 159-km-long ORR. Initially, a Metro Rail route would be developed linking Shamshabad ORR with Pedda Amberpet via Bongulur, separated by 40 km.

Similarly, the Pedda Amberpet ORR-Ghatkesar-Shamirpet-Medchal route would have five stations on the 45-km-long route. A new route would be developed from Medchal to Patancheru via Dundigal having four stations on a 29-km-long route.

Another route would be developed with three stations on a 22-km long route linking Patancheru-Kokapet-Narsingi.

Is it an election stunt?

None knows whether the project will take a decade to complete

The State Cabinet took a decision to expand the Metro Rail expansion project in all the four directions of the city at a whopping cost of Rs 60,000 crore. None is certain when the project will actually be grounded after the state Assembly clears the decision. Once a detailed project report is prepared and a clear picture on the source of funds emerged, none would hazard a guess how long it will take to complete the project. It is yet to be clarified whether the project will be executed with central funds or under the public-private partnership mode. However, the good news is that one can predict expansion of the Metro Rail facility till Pedda Amberpet from Isnapur via Kandlakoya and Shad Nagar in at least 10 years. The problem is that some real estate agents, site owners, realty companies would increase the real estate prices now instead of increasing them after a decade.

The announcement of expansion plans of the Metro Rail project would be useful for real estate traders to increase the site costs. One should keep in mind that the Metro Rail works would not be grounded right earnest. It may be recalled that at the time of the last Assembly elections, the state government went on record announcing the expansion of the second phase of the works. Foundation stone was laid at the TSPA junction for the Rayadurgam-Shamshabad Metro Rail route development works. But, it would take at least three more years for it to get completed. It would take at least eight years for a single Metro Rail route to be completed. Hazard guesses how long it will take to complete all the Metro Rail third phase expansion works.