Telangana government Monday unveiled its expansion plans for the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) and the state cabinet approved the same at a total estimated cost of Rs 69,100 crore. As per the proposal, an additional 309 km of the metro rail services will be added to the 72-km Phase-1 Metro and 31-km Airport Express Metro in the next three to five years. The preliminary works of the same are already underway. MA&UD Minister @KTRBRS along with other Ministers addressed a press conference after the Telangana State Cabinet meeting. The Telangana State Cabinet has approved a massive plan to improve transport infrastructure in Hyderabad with an estimated cost of Rs. 60,000 crore. This… pic.twitter.com/FUHJ1pNgT3 — Minister for IT, Industries, MA & UD, Telangana (@MinisterKTR) July 31, 2023 Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao told reporters the expansion plan will take the coverage of metro rail to over 400 km and connect various corners of the city, with a target completion timeframe of three to five years. At present, HMRL through its concessionaire L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited operates 67 km of Phase-1 metro across three corridors and has a daily ridership of over 5 lakh passengers a day. The works on a 5 km stretch to the Old City that was part of Phase-1 is yet to begin. As part of Phase-2 expansion, the government had proposed a 26 km corridor from BHEL to Lakdi-ka-pul, and a five-kilometre stretch to connect Nagole and LB Nagar metro stations. Now, phase 3 expansion has been approved by the state cabinet. According to Minister KTR, part A of phase 3 will comprise six corridors. While one would connect BHEL to Patancheruvu and Isnapur (13 km; Rs.3,250 crore), another would connect LB Nagar to Hayathnagar and Peddamberpet(13 km; Rs.4,500 crore ). Another corridor would connect Shamshabad Junction metro station with Kothur and Shadnagar(28 km; Rs.6,800 crore). A corridor is planned to connect Uppal with Bibinagar via Ghatkesar (25 km; Rs.6,900 crore). From Shamshabad international airport to Kandukur via Tukkuguda ORR and Maheshwaram X road (26 km; Rs.6,600 crore), another corridor is planned. A corridor is planned to connect Tarnaka with ECIL X road (8 km; Rs.2300 crore). In part B of the phase 3 expansion, a metro corridor is planned to cover the entire 158 km stretch of the Outer Ring Road. Similarly, under part C of phase 3, a corridor is planned from Jubilee Bus Station to Tumkunta (18.5 km) and another from Paradise junction to Kandlakoya via Kompally (18.5 km). These two corridors are proposed as two levels or a double-decker flyover where one of the levels will be exclusively for metro rail. Since these two corridors pass through the Secunderabad cantonment, necessary clearance would be required from the Ministry of Defence. “The decision aims to strengthen public transportation, cater to future population needs, and elevate Hyderabad to a global city, making its transport system one of the best in the country,” KTR said, expressing confidence in obtaining assistance from the Union government for the proposed expansion of HMRL. HMRL managing director N V S Reddy later said a total of 278 km stretch will be developed under eight metro extension corridors and four corridors on the Outer Ring Road for Rs 60,000 crore. Rs 9,100 crore is approved as a revised cost estimate for phase 2 BHEL-Lakdi-ka-pul to Miyapur corridor(26km) and five kilometres of Nagole to LB Nagar. This is to be taken up as a joint venture between the state and union governments. Reddy said the Chief Minister has instructed MAUD and HMRL to prepare the preliminary project reports and detailed project reports for all the proposed corridors that is estimated at Rs 69,100. When asked, Reddy refused to share any more details and confirmed to indianexpress.com that the Airport Express metro, a stretch of 31 km that is to be fully funded by the state government, is not part of these expansion plans discussed in the cabinet meeting.
