Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd managing director N.V.S. Reddy on Saturday announced that the Metro Rail route from SR Nagar to Miyapur will start functioning from June 2.
Mr Reddy was examining ongoing work on the Oliphanta Rail Over Bridge at Secunderabad. He added that the Nagole to Mettuguda stretch will not be opened at the same time as work on the Oliphanta bridge will continue for another four months.
According to sources, the state government has agreed to give an extension of 18 months to the metro rail project, which was to be completed by November 2018.
Metro Rail has got safety clearance certificate for the SR Nagar to Miyapur route and is keen to start services on that section. “We want to start services on that stretch and understand the travel pattern of the people. From the various studies that have been carried out from time to time, people are looking forward to the metro rail and hence their experience will give us an idea of their acceptance of the new system,” said Mr Reddy.
The safety clearance certificate has also been obtained for the Nagole to Mettuguda stretch, though that will not start now. According to sources, the plan is to start the service from Nagole to Begumpet, which will require completing work not only at Oliphanta but also near the ISKON temple.
The Oliphanta ROB is near Secunderabad railway station and has a steep curvature at the Mettuguda side, of 128 metres.
The steel bridge weighs 1,100 tons and the total length is 200 metres from Bhoiguda Rotary to the Oliphanta location. The bridge is being re-assembled near the depot at Secunderabad and will be launched after three or four months. During the launching of the bridge, train services of Southern Railway will be completely stopped.
Work across all metro rail locations is going on in full swing except the six-kilometre stretch of the Old City.
A senior officer of Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd explained, “There is no consensus on the six-kilometre stretch and hence the work there has not started, but on the other 66 kilometres the work is going on. When this gets completed, the issues at the Old City too will be sorted out.”
