PM inaugurates Hyderabad metro; services to be open for public from tomorrow

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the much-awaited Hyderabad metro train services. Modi took an inaugural ride of the service from the Miyapur Metro station till the Kukutpally station, a stretch of 5 km.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Information and Technology Minister K T Rama Rao, Union Urban Affairs Minister Harider Singh Puri and BJP leaders Kishen Reddy and Dr K Laxman.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the first phase of the project, which covers 24 stations.

The metro will be opened to the public on Wednesday.

Here is a look at the facilities Hyderabad metro has for the commuters

• Commuters can avail smart cards for the metro from the weekend. The card can also be used for other transport in the city
• The metro will cover a 30 km stretch in its first phase and is expected to carry 17 lakh passengers each day
• The Hyderabad Metro project has been divided into three corridors - all passing through areas with high population density
• Initially, the metro will run from 6 am to 10 pm. It would be rescheduled - 5:30 am to 11:00 pm - depending on traffic and demand, Telangana's Technology Minister KT Rama Rao said
• The price of tickets will range between Rs 10 and Rs 60
• The operations will start with three coaches - each of which can accommodate 330 people - per train. The number of coaches would be increased to six depending on traffic
• The elevated metro will have stations located at a distance of approximately one km
• The metro will eventually include feeder bus services, parking facility at strategic locations and have connectivity with other modes of transport
• There are plans to build sky-walks connecting the stations directly to commercial complexes, stadiums and offices
• The Hyderabad metro line will eventually be a 72 km elevated stretch, which will be completed by 2018. It is the largest such public-private partnership project, the state government has said.