5 months ago
1
Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Phase One marks 8 years of redefining municipality question successful the duplicate cities tomorrow. Yet, the three-corridor web that erstwhile promised seamless connectivity present struggles with overcrowded trains, neglected infrastructure, and nary contiguous alleviation successful sight.
With Phase Two inactive stuck successful approvals and caller rolling banal obscurity connected the horizon, the city’s lifeline is straining nether the value of its ain occurrence — leaving commuters to wonderment however overmuch longer they tin cope. It is evident that it volition instrumentality astatine slightest 5 years oregon much for the adjacent metro lines to go operational. This is contingent connected the Centre sanctioning the projected Phase 2A conception — 5 corridors covering 76.4 km astatine an estimated outgo of ₹24,269 crore — aboriginal adjacent year, arsenic precocious assured by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Khattar.
“First, the authorities indispensable implicit the acquisition process from L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH), which could instrumentality six months to a year. The process hasn’t adjacent begun. After the Centre and State motion a associated task statement for the 2nd signifier connected a 50:50 concern basis, backing from multilateral agencies volition beryllium sought, followed by tenders for the works,” said apical sources, requesting anonymity.
This hold volition straight interaction existing services connected the Red Line (LB Nagar–Miyapur, 29 km), Blue Line (Nagole–Raidurg, 29 km), and Green Line (JBS–MGBS, 11 km), arsenic the expected summation of caller bid sets is not happening. L&TMRH appears to person shelved plans to acquisition 10 three-coach bid sets aft deciding to manus implicit the task to the Telangana authorities for ₹15,000 crore.
“New bid sets are apt lone aft Phase Two works statesman oregon are finalised adjacent year, erstwhile the authorities whitethorn motion the declaration for rolling stock. It could instrumentality up to 15–18 months for these trains to go operational,” said elder officials.
Although L&TMRH installed barriers astatine Ameerpet interchange presumption to easiness crowding adjacent manager gates, rush-hour congestion—9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.—remains a large issue.
HMR presently carries an mean of 4.75 lakh passengers regular successful 1,075 trips utilizing 57 three-coach bid sets, with a frequence of 2.5–5 minutes during highest hours and 7–10 minutes during non-peak hours, maintaining punctuality astatine 99.86%. Even with two-minute intervals connected the Blue Line, trains are packed, forcing galore commuters backmost to roadworthy transport.
“Passengers are already being stopped from entering platforms oregon stations during highest hours astatine definite stations similar Raidurg, Hi-Tec City, and Ameerpet,” admitted a elder official. With much trains deployed connected the Blue and Red corridors owed to precocious demand, the Green Line continues to spot debased footfall—about 25,000 daily. Its frequence ranges from 8 to 20 minutes contempt passing done densely populated areas.
If past mile connectivity continues to beryllium a occupation area, the infrastructure nether metro stations—street furniture, footpaths, and different amenities—shows signs of neglect. Many areas person turned into garbage dumps, unfastened toilets, and shelters for beggars, alcoholics, and cause addicts, with breached tiles and dim lighting compounding the problem. That neither HMR nor L&TMRH person announced immoderate plans to observe the day lays bare the bittersweet authorities of affairs.
