HYDERABAD: With major portion of the first phase of Metro Rail works likely to end this year, the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) had initiated the exercise to expand the Metro Rail to as far as Patancheru on one side, Hayathnagar, Shamshabad and ECIL crossroads on the other side.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) would prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the second phase and the DMRC’s experts have already landed in the city to start the preparatory work.
The state government wanted to expand the project from the current under constructed 72 km stretch to around 200 km in a phased manner. It is likely that the metro rail project will be expanded by another 83-85 km in Phase-II to provide connectivity to various destinations on the city’s outskirts and as far as Patancheru in neighbouring Sangareddy district. HMRL managing director NVS Reddy along with DMRC experts inspected different alternative potential corridors and held a meeting on Friday.
Explaining that financial viability of Metro Phase-II is far more challenging than Phase-I, Reddy emphasised on the need for enhancement of revenues with innovative ideas and cost reduction through out of box solutions.Officials said DMRC was advised to suggest Phase II routes on the basis of maximum travel demand, closing of the gaps in Phase-I and integration with Metro Phase I routes and existing rail and bus systems and airport connectivity. Among other things, the HMRL wanted that the availability of government and open lands should also to be kept in mind while locating stations and depots in Phase-II.