AP to prepare DPR on Vizag metro rail; project cost pegged at Rs. 14,309 cr

A high-level steering committee has also been set up under the chairmanship of the state chief secretary to study the DPR. Consequent to the completion of the study, the DPR will be submitted to the Union government.

By Newsmeter Network  Published on  17 April 2022 7:19 AM GMT
AP to prepare DPR on Vizag metro rail; project cost pegged at Rs. 14,309 cr

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (APMRCL) has prepared a revised detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed light metro rail project in Vizag city.

A high-level steering committee has also been set up under the chairmanship of the state chief secretary to study the DPR. Consequent to the completion of the study, the DPR will be submitted to the Union government.

As per the DPR, the estimates for the 76.9-km metro project have been pegged at Rs. 14,309 crore.

The managing director of APMRCL, U.J.M Rao, said the corridor between the Vizag steel plant gate and NAD junction will be completed and made operational first. The project will be taken up under the public-private partnership funding model.

"Visakhapatnam, the financial capital of Andhra Pradesh, has a population of about 40 lakh, including its urban agglomeration. The population of Vizag is far more than the 20-lakh benchmark for a metro rail project as per the Metro Rail Policy of 2017," said Mr. Rao.

He further said metro trains will operate every eight minutes in Vizag once the project is completed. "Based on the demand, it will be reduced to six minutes. Metro rail is eco-friendly and comes with several advantages like less travel time, low cost, and zero accidents," he added.

Revised metro plan

After the change in regime following the 2019 elections, the YSRCP-led government in the state retracted the earlier bids initiated by the erstwhile TDP government. This made the nearly two-year-long tender process go in vain.

The government order released in January 2020 cited reasons such as the project receiving a single financial bid from the Essel Infra consortium, no cost reduction offered by the bidder, and the proposal to prepare a revised DPR as the reasons for the cancellation of the tenders. However, the earlier DPR was prepared only for a 42.5-km project in three corridors.

The state government then authorised APMRCL to prepare separate DPRs for the metro project as well as tram corridors. The project has been extended to Bhogapuram in the north of the city as well as Anakapalli in the south and other suburbs. This has increased the length of the project — both metro and tram corridors — to nearly 140 km.

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