Hyderabad Metro's Airport Alignment Plan Put On Hold As Chief Minister Charts New Master Plan For City

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy delved into a comprehensive review of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, its expansion initiatives, and the Airport Metro project recently.

During the review, he sought insights into the alignment of the Airport Metro along the Outer Ring Road (ORR), expressing concerns over the limited development scope and the existing robust transport infrastructure provided by the ORR.

Highlighting the city's demographic concentration in central, eastern, and old city areas, Reddy stressed that priority should have been given to aligning the Airport Metro through the Old City, connecting MGBS-Falaknuma and the LB Nagar area to serve a significant portion of the population.

Emphasising equal development in all directions, Reddy envisioned Hyderabad as a global city with vast potential, suggesting that the city should be planned to accommodate an initial population of about two crores, eventually expanding to three crores, reports Economic Times.

He proposed the creation of satellite townships around the ORR, with metro rail playing a pivotal role in ensuring affordable and rapid connectivity to these areas.

Instructing senior officials to temporarily halt the present airport alignment plan and its tender, Reddy urged them to swiftly develop alternative alignments via MGBS-Falaknuma and LB Nagar through Chandrayangutta.

He directed the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) Managing Director to prepare cost-effective alternatives, considering routes via Mailardevpally, Jalpally, P7 Road, or Barkas-Pahadishareef and Srisailam Road.

Reddy suggested exploring straight-line alignments cutting across open areas of the airport premises to optimize costs, given the government's ownership of the entire land.

Addressing environmental concerns, Reddy recommended planning an eco-friendly mega township on the extensive lands acquired for Pharma City near Kandukur.

He proposed keeping the polluting Pharma City at a distance from Hyderabad and connecting it to the airport area via Tukkuguda on Srisailam Road through Metro Rail.

Expressing dissatisfaction with benefits granted to Metro Rail Concessionaire L&TMRHL despite incomplete projects, Reddy called for a thorough investigation into the concession agreements of L&TMRHL and GMR Airport, along with the supplementary concession agreement of Metro Rail, to safeguard government interests.

Balancing welfare schemes with city development, Reddy directed officials to devise a master plan for the city, including beautification of the Musi River and utilising the right of way along its banks for east-west road-cum-Metro Rail connectivity from Nagole to Gandipet.

Hyderabad Airport Metro Rail project

The Hyderabad Airport Metro Rail project was estimated to cost Rs 6,250 crore and spans a distance of 31 km.

The airport corridor was proposed to connect Mindspace Junction near Raidurg Metro station and the city’s international airport located at Shamshabad after traversing along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) of the city.

The Airport Metro will connect the city to the airport and other major areas, such as the IT hub of Hitec City, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Nanakramguda, Narsingi, Kokapet etc.

The foundation stone for the project was laid by former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on 9 December last year.

The Airport Metro will reduce travel time from the city to the airport by up to 50 per cent. The metro is expected to take just 20 minutes to connect the airport to the main city.

The Old city metro is a 5.5 km metro alignment plan that stretches from MGBS to Falaknuma, passing through Darulshifa junction, Purani Haveli, Ettebar Chowk, Alijakotla, Mir Momin Daira, Haribowli, Shalibanda, Shamsheergunj, and Aliabad.