The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ‘Metro rail system is citizen-friendly'

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Saturday, Apr 09, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

‘Metro rail system is citizen-friendly'

Special Correspondent

Expected to be fully operational in 2015, says HMR Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy

Says it has the capacity to carry 60,000 passengers during rush hour in a day
Project expected to provide 50,000 jobs and lead to generation of ancillary industries

— PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

CLEARING DOUBTS:Hyderabad Metro Rail Project Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy at the interactive meeting on ‘Hyderabad Metro Rail' organised by

HYDERABAD: The proposed elevated metro rail system being built for the city by Larsen & Toubro Metro Rail is age, gender and disabled-friendly, besides being eco-friendly too, affirmed Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy on Friday.

“We do not intend to build an engineering model by itself but one which brings about urban redesign and social revolution so that citizens cutting across class and age can use the mass rapid transit system,” he said, making a presentation at ‘The Hindu-FAPCCI interactive meet on Hyderabad Metro Rail'.

The proposed metro rail services, once made fully operational and expected to be in 2015, has the capacity to carry 60,000 passengers during the peak hour in a day. He estimates that the number of passengers using the services could start with 15 lakh a day and go up to 25 lakh a day by the year 2025.

Currently, there were 2.8 million vehicles in the city and two lakh were being added each year leading to most junctions getting clogged already. Fourty-four per cent were using buses/MMTS, 30 per cent two-wheelers, 16 per cent autos, and 10 per cent cars. Seamless integration of existing MMTS services, bus services and metro rail, along with the proposed BRTS in certain corridors, could together meet the growing transportation needs of the capital.

Pointing out that it was the single largest investment ever in the State, Mr. Reddy said the project was expected to provide 50,000 jobs directly and lead to generation of ancillary industries. He argued that the Private Public Partnership (PPP) model was financially sustainable.

Tokyo and other South East Asian cities have shown that exploiting commercial space atop stations can be done successfully. “The 269-odd acres and area around 25 stations for circulating and parking being handed over to L&T can be exploited commercially on lease basis only. It cannot be sold and the developed property would return to the State once the agreement period is over,” Mr. Reddy said.

FAPCCI president Shekhar Agarwal, secretary-general M.V. Rajeshwara Rao, chairman, urban infrastructure and telecom committee, Gowra Srinivas, and others were present.

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