Modi to flag-off Hyderabad Metro Rail tomorrow

Hyderabad, Nov 27: The much-awaited Hyderabad Metro Rail will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow and start commercial operations from November 29.

The 30-km-long first phase of the metro rail project between Miyapur and Nagole, having 24 stations, would be launched by the prime minister at 2.15 pm tomorrow at Miyapur station. Modi along with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will travel by the metro from Miyapur to Kukatpally, and back.

The trains would run from 6 am to 10 pm initially and the timings would be rescheduled to 5.30 am to 11 pm, depending on the traffic and demand, Telangana's Information Technology Minister K T Rama Rao said on Saturday. He claimed that the Hyderabad metro rail is the most innovative and largest such project in the world in public private partnership (PPP) mode.

The concessionaire, L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd, has fixed a minimum fare of Rs 10 for a distance of up to two kilometres and the maximum fare is Rs 60 for a distance of more than 26 kms. Each train would initially have three coaches and 330 people can travel in each coach. The number of coaches can be increased to six depending on the traffic, Rao said.

The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) would also start feeder services for the metro, he said. A smart card was launched on Saturday for metro rail passengers. The card would be used for multiple modes of transport in future, Rao said. A mobile app (named 'T Savari') would also be launched for the benefit of passengers, Rao said.

Under the project, sky-walks will be also be built connecting the stations directly to commercial complexes, stadiums and offices, he said. "The state government has started its efforts for the second phase of the metro as well," the minister said. Asked about the deadline for the completion of the entire project, he said it should be ready in one year's time.

As many as 546 security personnel from private agencies will man the stations on the Miyapur-Nagole stretch. They will be working under three police officials per station in each shift, as per the Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL).

The L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) has already installed sophisticated CCTV cameras at all the stations and in trains. HMRL's Managing Director N V S Reddy earlier said that several measures have been taken up to ensure a comfortable travel for the disabled people also. The project, which started in July 2012, was initially scheduled to be completed by June this year but delays like land acquisition and other issues resulted in it overshooting the deadline.

PTI