The long-awaited rail transit system in Hyderabad is almost here! The Managing Director of the Hyderabad Metro Rail, N. V. S. Reddy mentioned on February 17 that Two sections of the project -- Miyapur-SR Nagar (11 km) of corridor I and Nagole-Begumpet (16km) of corridor III will be opened in mid-2017. To hype you up for the opening ceremony, here are some cool facts about the metro project that you should know:
3 lines, 64 stations, 72.10 kilometres, ₹15,957 crores – quick stats And that’s just Phase I. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) bore 90% of the project cost, since the Metro is a Public-Private Partnership.
Trailblazing infrastructure design The cantilever design for the stations, which features the entire station resting on a single middle set of pillars, has not been attempted before in India. Also, there are elevated pedestrian passageways called ‘skyways’ that connect the metro stations directly to nearby malls and major buildings.
Integration into bus and other rail transport systems The metro system is designed to seamlessly link metro passengers to bus stands and MMTS stations and vice-versa. Also, new feeder bus services called ‘merry-go-round’ buses will loop around a metro station to connect people in the neighbourhood to the station.
Good for Mother Earth Modern rail transit systems are known to emit lower CO2 emissions per passenger. Moreover, Hyderabad metro stations will feature natural ventilation, which will reduce the power requirement for in-station electric lighting.
An award-winning global infrastructure project The Hyderabad Metro Rail project has been selected as one of the top 100 strategic global infrastructure projects showcased at the Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum held in New York.
On behalf of Chai Bisket, I wish Mr. N. V. S. Reddy and his team all the best for the launch later this year!
