Airport in 20 minutes @120 kph; KCR plans quicker Metro ride in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: As part of a major infrastructure push, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will lay the foundation stone for the Metro Rail’s Airport Express Corridor, a 31-km high-speed link connecting Mindspace junction and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad, on December 9, a move that will benefit city commuters and airport passengers.
When the high-speed Hyderabad Airport Metro Rail (HAML) service, expected to cost Rs 6,250 crore, begins, trains would cover the distance in just 20 minutes. It will be mostly elevated, like in the rest of the city, but have a 2.5 km underground section.
K.T. Rama Rao, municipal administration and urban development minister, announced the project on Twitter. “Hyderabad is Forging Ahead. Happy to announce that Hon’ble CM KCR Garu will be laying the foundation for Airport Express Metro on 9th December. This project starting at Mindspace junction to Shamshabad Airport will be 31 KM long & will be costing approximately ₹6,250 Cr (sic),” he posted.
The airport line will be part of the proposed 58-km Hyderabad Metro Phase-II project, which is at the proposal stage.
In February 2020, the Telangana had government approved the detailed project report (DPR) for Phase-II, which included three new lines and extensions of existing lines. According to the plan, the Phase-II project will include three elevated corridors or extensions of the existing lines in the 67-km Phase-1 of the project.
The proposed Red Line corridor from Miyapur to Lakdikapul, to built at a cost of Rs 8,453 crore, will pass through BHEL, Kondapur, Gachibowli, Raidurg, Mehdipatnam and Masab Tank. Some of these areas are not covered by Metro Rail so far. Raidurg, together with the airport line, would then become a major point.
The Blue Line will travel from Biodiversity Junction, Nanakramguda, Narsingi, TS Police Academy, Rajendranagar, Shamshabad, RGIA cargo unit, and the RGIA passenger terminal.
The Blue Line will be extended via the Outer Ring Road (ORR) through Gachibowli and Himayatsagar. Another part of the Blue Line will complete the ‘missing link’ between Nagole and LB Nagar.
