The feasibility study for change in alignment of L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited will be concluded within month and submitted to the Telangana Government.
“Thereafter, if the changes are to be brought about, which the Government would decide, the concessionaire L&T would be compensated. This could mean an additional investment of about few hundred crores,” said NVS Reddy, Managing Director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had recently suggested that the metro rail line be changed in two locations, one to protect heritage monuments and pass behind the State Assembly building and the other one to protect shops in the busy Sultan Bazaar area.
Reddy said the Government would take up a study on the suggestion made by the Chief Minister to extend the metro line to 200 km from the current project length of 72 km.
Following the suggestions, the HMRL (the Government entity supporting the project implementation) has taken up a study. Businessmen in at least three stretches of metro project alignment have been protesting against the metro passing through such dense locations.
Completion Thus far, more than 40 per cent of the work has been completed across three corridors. The first arm of the multi-phase project of 8 km will be commissioned in March during Ugadi 2015. Test runs are now underway and trial runs will commence later. It takes about 6 months for test runs to be completed, Reddy said.
Earlier, during an interactive meeting, Reddy said the project would have many firsts, all aimed at making them passenger friendly. It is proposed to develop an all-women station, a youth station, another station with Rythu Bazaar and one more station that will integrate the existing vegetable market with the rail network.Reddy said the project would develop a lot of greenery all along the network.