Data: Hyderabad Metro recorded 63.40 Cr ridership in 7 years

Hyderabad: The cumulative ridership of Hyderabad Metro in the last seven years was around 63.40 crore passengers, said Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) managing director NVS Reddy.

Reddy spoke to the media at the HAML office here on Tuesday, coinciding with the seventh year of commencement of commercial operations of Hyderabad Metro Rail on November 28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), opened the first 30-kilometer length from Nagole to Miyapur via Ameerpet in 2017 after work started in April 2012. The routes were then completed in stages over a three-year period.

Three routes of metro rail

The Ameerpet to LB Nagar section opened on September 24, 2018, followed by the Ameerpet to HiTec City stretch on March 20, 2019, and the HiTec City to Raidurg stretch on November 29, 2019.

The HMRL MD said that Hyderabad Metro is the world's largest metro corridor with 80 percent investments made through PPP mode and around 20 percent by the Central and State Governments. In Phase-I, three corridors were built in the city with a length of 69 km and 57 stations.

The Hyderabad Metro Red Line runs from Miyapur to LB Nagar, covering a distance of 29.21 kilometers (27 stations), while the Green line between JBS Parade Ground-MGBS was developed covering a distance of 11 km (08 stations) and the Blue line was developed covering a distance between Nagole-Raidurg covering 29 km (22 stations). The Metro Rail Phase-I project is a completely elevated Metro project.

Demand for metro in Medchal

In the initial days, when the metro rail project was announced in Hyderabad, there was a severe outrage from the public. But now, after witnessing its progress, the majority of the people in and around Hyderabad, especially from Medchal region, are demanding to include their respective localities in the phase-II metro corridor project.

“Now Hyderabad has slipped to third position in the operational network due to delays in the expansion of the metro rail network in the city. Delhi stood top in the country with a length of 415 km metro rail network, followed by Bengaluru (74 km) and Hyderabad (69 km). Hyderabad is likely to drop to 9th position if urgent action is not initiated,” Reddy said.

The HMRL MD also asserted that Hyderabad would climb back to third position with the implementation of the Metro Rail Phase-II project in a full-fledged manner. The respective governments in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai are executing expansion projects with investments at around Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore each for the convenience of the public, Reddy said.

At present, the Metro Rail Phase-II Proposal, DPR, CMP, Alternatives Analysis etc., under Technical and Financial evaluation of the Union Government and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The estimated construction cost per kilometer for Hyderabad Metro Phase-II is only Rs 318 crore, whereas it ranges from Rs 373 crore to Rs 569 crore in Bengaluru, Rs 619 crore to Rs 756 crore in Chennai, and Rs 543 crore to Rs 1,492 crore in Mumbai, the HMRL MD said.