Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-II works to begin from Old City in January first week

The works on the Phase-II of Hyderabad Metro Rail, from MGBS to Chandrayangutta, will begin from January first week. File photo of Metro Rail line beside River Musi near the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) which is the last stop on the Green Line in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML), the special purpose vehicle of the Telangana Government to take up the Phase-II of metro rail construction as a joint venture with the Central Government, will begin work on the Old City section – from MBGS to Chandrayanagutta – from January first week onwards, informed managing director N.V.S. Reddy on Tuesday (November 26, 2024).

Properties demolition in December last week

“We will start demolishing the properties acquired through the Land Acquisition Act on the route in December last week and also begin to take up geo-technical studies as well as central barricading of the road even while we await the Centre’s nod for the five corridors of 76.4 km (54 stations estimated to cost ₹24,269 crore,” he told a press conference at the Metro Rail Bhavan in Hyderabad.

NVS Reddy, MD, HAML & HMR addressing a press conference Metro Phase-II project and successful completion of 7 years of Metro Rail operations, at Metro Rail Bhavan, Begumpet in Hyderabad on Tuesday (November 26, 2024).
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G

Minimal acquisition of properties except in Old City

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who has already released money for the works, has been personally monitoring the progress and is very keen to complete all the works within the next four years. Save for the Old City, there will be minimal acquisition of private properties with most of the government land to be utilised for establishing depots and others, explained Mr. Reddy.

Property owners being offered ₹65,000/square yard

Mr. Reddy reiterated that none of the 106 religious and heritage structures in the Old City will be touched with engineering solutions worked out to avoid them. Properties owners are being offered ₹65,000 per square yard in the Old City. “We are open to suggestions from citizens about the stations locations, number of stations and even names,” added Mr. Reddy.

1.6 km stretch inside the Shamshabad international airport

Except for a 1.6 km stretch inside the Shamshabad international airport, the entire project will be having elevated viaduct all along with the construction expected to be expedited using modern technology and double ‘Ú’ shaped girders. Another interesting facet will be that the proposed new metro lines are extensions of the 69 km of phase one – Red line: (29 km) Miyapur to LB Nagar, Green Line: (11 km) JBS to MGBS and Blue Line: (29 km) Nagole to Raidurg.

Airport route can be accessed from three lines and extensions

Once completed, citizens can access the airport route from any of the three existing lines and extensions, with the Nagole and LB Nagar stations being connected. A twin station will be coming up at Nagole so that travellers on Blue Line towards the airport can clamber on. Similarly, those travelling on the Green Line can get on the route from Chandrayanagutta and those on the Red Line can join at either MGBS or LB Nagar.

HAML and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are planning to have a double decker flyover cum metro rail for a 1.6 km stretch between Miyapur-Madinaguda. Otherwise, the metro rail alignment will be to the left of the flyovers built or under construction in any of the proposed new metro line routes. While the plan is to build metro rail to run at 35 kmph, they might move at faster speed on the airport stretch , he said.