8 months ago
3
L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH), which built and has been operating Phase 1 of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) crossed 69.2 km successful 3 high-density corridors, is expected to manus implicit operations to the Telangana Government wrong the adjacent six months to a year.
This marks the extremity of a 15-year-long public-private concern (PPP)— erstwhile hailed arsenic the world’s largest elevated metro obstruction task nether the PPP exemplary — and brings to a adjacent a analyzable and often turbulent narration betwixt L&T and successive governments.
Officials sources indicated that Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao played a cardinal relation successful breaking the crystal with L&T’s apical management, ensuring the shot is backmost successful the Centre’s tribunal to o.k. a Joint Venture (JV) with the State Government for HMR signifier 2 of 76.4 km and estimated to outgo ₹24,269 crore.
Concerns person already been raised astir the continuity of operations crossed the Red Line (LB Nagar–Miyapur), Blue Line (Nagole–Raidurg), and Green Line (JBS–MGBS) erstwhile the authorities — apt done its peculiar intent vehicle, Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) — takes over. However, these concerns whitethorn beryllium unfounded.
L&TMRH has outsourced operations and attraction to Keolis, a French multinational headquartered successful Paris, since inception. Keolis, which besides operates metro systems successful London, Dubai, Paris, and precocious Pune, is expected to beryllium retained post-handover.
Despite fiscal losses, L&TMRH is credited with moving a choky and businesslike operation, maintaining cleanable infrastructure, minimal breakdowns, and precocious work frequency. The Keolis declaration runs until November 2026, and the handover timeline is apt to align with this.
Keolis manages 57 trainsets, metro infrastructure, CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) systems, and contributes to 80% of the integer ticketing solutions. HMR boasts implicit 99.5% punctuality and a 90%+ rider restitution rate, making it 1 of the best-rated metro networks successful India.
It indispensable beryllium noted that L&T was awarded the HMR task by the past Andhra Pradesh Government, signing the Concession Agreement (CA) connected Sept 4, 2010, good earlier the state’s bifurcation. Financial closure was achieved successful a grounds six months connected March 1, 2011, with a ₹11,000 crore indebtedness sanctioned by a consortium of 10 banks led by State Bank of India (SBI) — the largest money tie-up for a non-power infrastructure PPP task successful India astatine the time. Official sources besides authorities that the project’s travel reflects however nationalist argumentation shifts tin interaction ample infrastructure ventures, adjacent erstwhile backed by nationalist assemblage funding.
