HYDERABAD: In order to start the Airport Metro Rail ground works at an early date and fast track the pre-construction activities, Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML) has decided to take up a number of activities in a parallel processing mode.
For this purpose, two survey teams have been engaged to gather ground data for alignment finalisation. The data will be crucial for deciding the location of metro pillars and stations, their heights and the profile of the viaduct.
HAML Managing Director NVS Reddy along with Chief Electrical Engineer DVS Raju, Chief Project Manager B Anand Mohan and senior engineers inspected the Airport Metro route from Raidurg Metro Station to Narsingi Junction on Sunday.
During the inspection, Reddy directed to the HAML engineers and survey teams to ensure that the station locations will be nearer to major road junctions and that the Airport Metro corridor be planned for dispersed growth of the city. It shall serve not only the Airport passengers but for reverse commute also as desired by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao so that even lower income groups can stay in better accommodation in the city outskirts and reach their workplaces in around 20 minutes.
Multi-armed skywalks
The station designs and facilities should cater to the present and future needs of commuters from different directions of the junctions in this high-growth and high-rise building areas, with multi-armed skywalks landing in all directions. Ample parking facilities shall be created on the available government lands nearer to the stations, the HAML MD said.
While extending the existing corridor three (blue line) from Raidurg Station to the new Airport Metro Raidurg Station by about 900 meters, the possibility of combining the extended blue line new terminal station and the Airport Metro station shall be explored. These two new stations can be one over the other in view of the space constraints in front of L&T building and Aurobindo building after Ikea, he added.
The new Raidurg station can be at the first two levels, and the extended new blue line station can be on the upper two levels. Thus it would be an integrated four-level station, somewhat similar to JBS Station of metro corridor-2 (green line) and Ameerpet interchange station. The Airport Metro viaduct crossing over Biodiversity junction flyover needs to be planned carefully. Metro pillars shall be located right next to the flyover ramp, similar to what was done near the Cyber Towers junction flyover in the metro first phase. Post-construction of the metro pillars adjacent to the Biodiversity flyover, it shall be ensured that the traffic flow would be smooth, he said.
Traffic flows from all directions at Nanakramguda Junction should be analysed to determine the location of Nanakramguda station with arms/skywalks for the benefit of passengers using the station from all directions, he said.
Unique facility
HAML MD NVS Reddy said that the Airport Metro Biodiversity junction station should be planned in a unique way to facilitate the integration of the future BHEL-Lakdikapul Metro corridor station.