Metro rail project to be completed in 4 years : Official

Hyderabad, Feb 23 (UNI) The 66-km Metro rail project, being taken up at the cost of Rs 8482 crore under Public-Private Partnership (PPP), would be completed in four years, Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited Managing Director NVS Reddy said today.

Talking to newspersons on the sidelines of a programme on 'role of IT in infrastructure development', organised by Institute of Engineers here, Mr Reddy said financial bids would be invited in March and the works will begin by May this year.

Stating that the rail project would connect three rail terminals, 7 MMTS stations and seven major bus stations in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to provide easy access to the trains, he said standard guage system would be installed in the project on par with Delhi Metro rail project and a sophisticated mechanism will be adopted.

He said an elevated metro rail with two (up and down) lines on a deck erected on pillars would be constructed in the central median of the road without obstructing the road traffic. Stations would be located at an average interval of one km. Elevated stations could be accessed through staircase, escalators and lifts.

Adequate parking space and circulating areas would also be provided for multi-modal integration at the stations, Mr Reddy said, adding that the system was expected to carry 15.77 lakh passengers per day by 2011 and 25.70 lakh by 2021. The maximum speed of the train was 80 kmph, while average speed was 34 kmph.

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