HYDERABAD: In a major push to the public transport system in the city, the Hyderabad Airport Express Metro project between Mindspace Junction, Madhapur and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad is going to be a reality soon. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will lay the foundation for the 31-km Metro Corridor on December 9. The project to be taken up at a cost of Rs 6,250 crore will connect Mindspace Junction and the international airport.
“Hyderabad is Forging Ahead. Happy to announce that CM KCR Garu will be laying the foundation for Airport Express Metro on 9th December (sic),” Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao tweeted on Sunday afternoon.
Unlike the Phase-I Metro Rail which is elevated, Phase-II will have elevated, grade-level and underground tracks. Of the 31-km stretch, 2.630 km to 2.635 km will be underground, which will cover the airport; about 26.365 km will be elevated and 0.840 km at grade-level.
The State government has decided to fund the project on its own. The corridor will take off from Raidurg Metro terminal station at Mindspace Junction, pass through Biodiversity Junction, Khajaguda Road and touch Nanakramguda Junction on the Outer Ring Road (ORR). From here, it will be taken to RGIA through the existing dedicated Metro Rail Right of Way (RoW) in the ORR.
Several big global and national companies have either set up or are setting up huge campuses along this stretch. A large number of commercial and residential high-rise buildings with world-class facilities are coming up within the vicinity of this corridor. With the state-of-the-art technologies, passenger facilities and conveniences, this project, scheduled to be completed in about three years, is expected to play an important role in ushering Hyderabad as an attractive global destination for investments.
There will be nine to 10 metro stations -- one underground and nine elevated -- on this stretch such as Raidurgam, Bio-Diversity junction, Nanakramguda, Narsingi, TSPA, Rajendranagar and airport terminal. The travel time is expected to take just 25-30 minutes from the city to the international airport.
The Metro will reach up to a maximum speed of 135 kmph and maximum operating speed will be 120 kmph. The train composition will be of three cars, schedule speed will be of 65 KMPH with a ‘station dwell time’ of 30 seconds. There will be one maintenance depot near the Airport Cargo Station. As per the estimates, the ridership will be 1,60,650 by 2031, 3,03,700 (2041) and 4,03,200 (2051).
There will be an automatic fare collection system with a combination of contactless smart card for multiple journeys and computerised contactless smart token for single journey. The project will be executed by Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML), a special purpose vehicle created by the State government.
Meanwhile, AIMIM leader and MP Asaduddin Owaisi requested minister K T Rama Rao to start the work on the MGBS-Faluknama Corridor II, covering 5.5 km for which Rs 500 crore was allocated in this year’s budget. “This work is very important,” the Hyderabad MP said in a tweet.