Baggage check-in at Raidurg; 10 trains every 8 minutes: HAML MD NVS Reddy

HYDERABAD: Citizens travelling to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport would not have to worry about booking cabs or getting stuck in traffic snarls as Hyderabad's dream of having metro connectivity to the airport will turn into a reality in not more than three years from now.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao would be laying the foundation stone for the works of Airport Express Metro in Hyderabad on December 9, which would be one step forward in shaping the City into one of the most modern cities in the world.

The 31-km Airport Express Metro line would be the first corridor of the Phase-2 Hyderabad Metro Rail. The second corridor of the Phase-2 is likely to connect BHEL to Lakdi ka Pul and also give connectivity between Nagole and LB Nagar.

The Airport Express would not only save travel time for passengers, but also minimise the baggage check-in time. "Completely different from Phase-1 metro in the City, this metro line would be the first-of-its-kind metro design and would include elevated, road-level and underground metro tracks," said the Managing Director of Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited NVS Reddy in an exclusive interview with NewsTAP.

Here are the excerpts of an interview:

A luggage check-in facility would be made available for airport metro passengers. Is it only at the Raidurg station or every station along the airport express metro?

Only the new Raidurg station would have a luggage check-in facility for the passengers.

How many trains might be launched initially? Would there be separate trains for cargo?

Initially, 10 trains would be launched with a frequency of eight minutes. These trains would include space for luggage inside the coaches and there wouldn't be any separate trains for cargo.

How far would the metro line be from the departures building?

Since the metro line near the airport would be underground, it would end right near the departures building. No other transport is needed. The passengers would only have to take escalators to reach the airport from the metro!

Would the State Government use internal accrual funds or are they likely to raise a loan to fund the Rs.6,250-crore project?

The entire project is being funded by the State Government. If the funds would entirely be internally accrued or a part-internal and part-loan model would be followed has yet to be decided.

What is the likely increase in the percentage of cost of construction at the end of three years?

The estimated budget - Rs 6,250 crore, was given after factoring in inflation and projected costs. It is not likely that the cost of the project would exceed this figure.

How will the airport metro coaches be different from the current metro coaches?

The coaches in the Airport Express would be completely different from the city metro. They would have more seating space and minimal standing space, just like day time passenger trains. The speed of these trains would also be more than the city trains.

Is the metro only for airport passengers or will passengers without an air-ticket be allowed?

Absolutely anyone can use this metro. People coming from outside Hyderabad to work in the city can board the metro and reach the city within minutes. People travelling to not just the airport, but surrounding areas can also travel comfortably and with minimum cost.

We aim at Transport Oriented Development and improving quality of life for everyone and so, this metro can be accessed by everyone.

Is the entire 31-km metro going to be an elevated metro?

This metro design is completely different from Phase-1's design. It would include a 27.5-km elevated metro over the Outer Ring Road, a 2.5-km underground metro line reaching the airport and a 1-km road-level metro, which would slowly descend the elevated metro and merge it with the underground line.

When is the DPR going to start and be completed? What about the on-ground survey?

The basic survey and alignment has already been done. We will soon start a foot-by-foot survey.

Will it cause more congestion up to Nanakramguda?

Since it is an elevated metro inside the city, there won't be much increase in congestion.

What is the land acquisition and demolition (if any) process?

The design and route of the metro eliminates the need for demolition or land acquisition. There is a metro phase readily available on the ORR. Hence, there is not much land acquisition or demolition requirement and the Airport Express Metro would be completed in three years without loss of time in the land acquisition process.