Metro rail stretch between Ameerpet and Hi-Tec City to be opened by December end

A 10 km metro rail stretch between Ameerpet and Hi-Tec City will be opened by December end this year, a top official said Monday. Work was going according to schedule, Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) Managing Director N V S Reddy told reporters here.

"Metro works progress is pretty good and it is going as per schedule...before the end of December this year we will start the Ameerpet to Hi-Tec City line," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the 30 km stretch (between Miyapur and Nagole) out of the 72 km long elevated Hyderabad Metro Rail project, in November last year.

With the operationalisation of a 16-km stretch of Hyderabad Metro Rail between Ameerpet and L B Nagar in September this year, Hyderabad Metro Rail is covering 46 km and has become India's second largest Metro Rail network, next only to Delhi.

Reddy said the Hyderabad Metro Rail project has been adjudged the 'Best Urban Mass Transit Project' by the Centre and the award of Excellence was presented to him and L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited MD K V B Reddy jointly during the Urban Mobility India Conference held in Nagpur Sunday.

The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has appreciated the "unique" features of Hyderabad Metro project and said it was an outstanding project with a lot of engineering and financial innovations, according to N V S Reddy.

"Hyderabad Metro Rail has emerged as a successful example of Public-Private Partnership initiative. It is an urban redesign and rejuvenation effort to transform the city into a people-friendly green environ. Robust structural design, land pooling and other modes of revenue generation are other noteworthy features of the project, reads the citation of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs."

After the launch of metro services till Hi-Tec City station, monthly passes would be introduced and some concessions provided for the convenience of passengers, Reddy said.

In addition to it, the Hyderabad Metro Rail is also working on introducing the combined pass ticket which will help passengers travel in Metro and TSRTC city buses and other modes of transportation, HMRL officials said.

According to them, a survey is being conducted to study different aspects including financial feasibilities and this would be launched in about three months.