Smooth ride but not fully women, disabled friendly
HYDERABAD: With anticipation running high for the Hyderabad metro rail opening, Express got access to travel in the metro from Nagole to Mettugudda on Saturday, three days before its official inauguration. Here is a quick overview of what it would be like to travel in Hyderabad’s first metro rail. It took a decade for the 30-kilometre Nagole-Ameerpet-Miyapur stretch to finally become operational, unlike the Kochi metro that opened 13 km within three-and-half years.
Since its opening on June 17 this year, the Kochi Metro has set a gold standard among metro rails in the country through a slew of initiatives, such as theme-based stations, Sneha Yathra (The Journey of Love) for arranged residents of orphanages and old-age homes among many other initiatives. No such social inclusive measures have so far been witnessed in the run-up to the Hyderabad Metro rail opening.
The 8.3 km journey from Nagole to Mettuguda station, which on road would take approximately 30 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, the Metro took 20 minutes. The view from the train is spectacular, the 100 feet Indian national flag fluttering from within the CSIR campus is the key highlight of this stretch.
The Hyderabad metro trains have a maximum seating capacity of approximately 965 per three-car train but are roomy enough for standing passengers. There are enough handlebars for commuters to hold on to but there existed no colour-coded demarcated areas separate for ladies or the elderly, like in the Kochi metro.
The train to Mettugudda was driven by Anusha V, one among the 30 women train operators working with the metro. None of the Hyderabad metro stations enclosed, making the station sitting duck to rain and other weather elements.
The Hyderabad metro stations have been touted as disabled friendly. However, despite the station being disabled friendly, wheelchair-users will still require assistance to get onto the train due to a gap between the platform and train, and difference in height..