Hyderabad: The revised Metro Rail tariff is expected to be finalised in a week. It remains to be seen whether the TS government would clear the steep hike. If approved, a ride on Metro Rail will become expensive when compared to RTC buses, especially the Sheetal air-conditioned service.
L&T has cited cost escalation since April 2011 as the reason for the fare hike. To buttress its claim, L&T says Metro Rail will provide air-conditioned world-class commuting with LED TVs and a host of ultra modern facilities, minus the traffic hassles. Metro Rail will be much faster than RTC buses, it says.
However, there are certain hassles with the Metro Rail such as the cost of reaching the station, parking of personal vehicles near the stations and taking another mode of transport to reach the destination.
Metro Rail officials claim they will run shuttle buses from stations to nearby destinations. "As per the agreement reached with L&T earlier, the existing fares should be in force till the end of 2017. Any revision should be implemented from January 2018. However, L&T has been seeking revision of fares from March 2015 itself citing escalation of project cost. The issue will be referred to the Chief Minister who will take a final call on whether to approve it or not," said a senior official.
Sources said, the government may opt for a moderate hike of perhaps Rs 2 over the earlier price band. The department of municipal administration is working on the revised fares, which would be submitted to the Chief Minister within a week.
