KCR lays foundation for Rs.6,250-cr Hyderabad Airport Metro

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has said that the airport metro rail would be built with equity participation of state agencies like Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) apart from GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL). The airport metro was proposed as part of efforts of the state government to transform Hyderabad into a global city.

Laying the foundation stone for the airport metro at Raheja Mindspace junction on Friday, The much-anticipated KCR said that it was being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 6,250 crores.

While congratulating the stakeholders on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that he was very happy to lay the foundation stone of the much-anticipated Hyderabad Airport Metro.

Addressing a public meeting at Telangana State Police Academy, the Chief Minister said that the Hyderabad Metro Rail would eventually be expanded upto BHEL. The state government would not wait for central assistance to build a metro rail network but would do so on its own, he added.

The Hyderabad Airport Metro line would reduce the time it would take to drive from the city to the airport to just 26 minutes. The project would not only serve as a vital link between Adibatla Aerocity and the proposed Pharma City, but it would also provide public transportation to southern Hyderabad.

People of various religions and all strata coexisted in Hyderabad, a truly cosmopolitan city noted for its history and tradition. The city got power for the first time in 1912, years before Chennai did in 1927, he recalled.

Power outages in New York, London, and Paris might be possible, but there was no question of power outage in Hyderabad. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar said that they had transformed Hyderabad into a "Power Island" by connecting electrical grids with State and national grids.

The city, he said, was experiencing an industrial boom. Since people from all over the world were in city for a variety of reasons, Hyderabad must be made into a magnificent city. He urged all stakeholders to develop the city with a long term vision in mind and make Hyderabad the best place to live in the country.

The Chief Minister said that more emphasis should be laid on environmental conservation as global warming continued to deteriorate. He said that the Metro would be crucial in making Hyderabad pollution-free.

The Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML) was established as a joint venture between the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), and the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC).

The HMDA made the first contribution of Rs 625 crore to the Hyderabad Airport Metro.

Similarly, the GHIAL too contributed its share of Rs. 625 crore.

The Hyderabad Metro Corridor would begin at Mindspace Junction, pass through Biodiversity Junction, Khajaguda Road, and end at Nanakramguda Junction on the Outer Ring Road. This metro project would be built in three years.

Metro travel from underground

The Hyderabad Metro Rail system currently operates only on the elevated corridor. However, for the first time, the airport metro would run underground. An underground route near Shamshabad Airport would be built for this purpose. The elevated corridor would cover 27.5 kilometres of the total 31-kilometer route., while 2.5 Km would go underground and another one km would be at the road level.

Ministers K T Rama Rao, Sabitha Indra Reddy, Vemula Prashant Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, M Malla Reddy, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar and HAML MD NVS Reddy also participated.