Telangana CM to lay foundation stone for Hyderabad airport express Metro on December 9

Exactly five years after the inauguration of the Hyderabad Metro by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the TRS government has announced Rs 6250 crore airport Express Metro project connecting Hyderabad's IT hub with Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on the outskirts.

Telangana's IT, industries and urban development minister K T Rama Rao revealed that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao would lay the foundation for the 31 KM metro line from Mind-space Junction to Shamshabad airport on December 9.

“Hyderabad is forging ahead,” KTR tweeted on Sunday.

The airport express Metro will be a Telangana state government funded project and is planned to be completed in three years.

The announcement comes even as the KCR government is in discussions with the government of India for approval, fundings for a 31 KM of Metro line expansion within the city.

The state officials have already submitted a Detailed Project Report to the centre for the BHEL to Lakdikapul line of 26 Kms and the five KM long Nagole to LB Nagar line. The latter would link the two main Metro corridors running in the city.

The Hyderabad Metro was opened by PM Narendra Modi on 28 November 2017, at a time when the relations between the TRS and BJP governments were cordial.

After commencing the Hyderabad Metro operations at the Miyapur terminal, Modi took the inaugural ride on the rapid transport system, accompanied by KCR, KTR, union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and then Telangana BJP chief K Laxman.

The BJP, which is on a rapid rise in Telangana since the 2019 elections, has now emerged as the principal challenger to the ruling party. The TRS supremo, ministers and leaders have been accusing the Modi led central government of ill-treating Telangana in allocations of funds, projects.

Earlier this month, KTR wrote to Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri seeking the central government in-principle approval for the second phase of Hyderabad Metro Rail. The new Metro line, from BHEL to Lakdikapul, was proposed to be 26 kilometers long with 23 stations.

KTR wants the approval for Phase -II, costing Rs 8,453 crore, as a jointly owned project of the Government of India (GoI) and Government of Telangana with external financial assistance.

In a letter to Puri, KTR requested the proposal inclusion in the ensuing union budget 2023-24.

“Hyderabad is the fastest growing Metropolitan city in terms of quarterly and year on year growth of real estate sector especially since 2019-20. With the opening up of all the offices in the post Covid-19 scenario, the need for expansion and strengthening of the public transportation system needs no emphasis,” KTR stated in the missive.

At present, phase-I of Hyderabad Metro Rail Project spanning over 69 kilometers, in three corridors, is fully operational. Incidentally, it is the world’s largest Metro Rail Project in PPP mode under the Viability Gap Funding scheme of the central government.