The proposed airport metro line through the Old City as directed by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is likely to have an inter-change station at Chandrayangutta, with Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) officials planning to extend the remaining 5.5-km MGBS-Falaknuma route by another 1.5 km to this area.
Chandrayangutta is on the Nagole-L.B. Nagar- Mailardevpalli- airport line. Developing an interchange station will provide connectivity between the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad and the Old City, said HMR managing director N.V.S. Reddy on Sunday.
During a brainstorming session held with engineering experts and senior metro rail officers on the modified metro phase-II proposals at the Metro Rail Bhavan, the main issue discussed was about which part of Nagole- L.B. Nagar- Mailardevpalli-RGIA, or Nagole- L.B. Nagar- Mailardevpalli- New High Court near agriculture university will be designed as the main line and the other as the spur line.
The complexities involved in the creation of train reversal and stabling lines at Chandrayangutta given the narrow road width and the existence of a flyover there and the possible technical solutions were also deliberated upon, said an official release.
The pros and cons of adopting the same signalling and train control system and coaches of Hyderabad Metro Phase-I versus the adoption of other signalling technologies and coaches, which are now available in India, were also discussed at length.
The need for flexibility and obtaining competitive rates by breaking the restrictive trade practices of existing technology and metro coach suppliers, and at the same time, the necessity to ensure seamless travel facility for passengers transiting from phase-I corridors to the new corridors were recognised. It was also decided to discuss this issue with the domain experts while preparing the detailed project reports (DPRs).
Location of the new depots, new Operational Control Centers, feasibility of laying “At grade” (on ground) metro line in a stretch on the Mailardevpalli-RGIA road etc., were discussed to arrive at optimal solutions and to achieve cost reduction in metro phase-II, as desired by the Chief Minister.
Mr.Revanth Reddy called for the adoption of best practices of various metros and the learnings of HMR phase-I for the provision of better passenger facilities and maximising ridership. Emphasis was on creation of adequate parking facilities at new metro stations, last mile connectivity, pedestrian facilities, space for luggage in the airport metro trains etc., will be given priority while preparing the DPRs.
HMR chief electrical engineer D.V.S. Raju, chief signal & telecom engineer S.K. Das, chief project manager B.Anand Mohan, general managers M. Vishnuvardhan Reddy and B.N .Rajeshwar as well as other metro rail experts from the consultancy firm participated in the session.
