Hyderabad: The TS government is keen on bringing the Metro Rail to Shamshabad airport in the second phase of operations. But L&T, the concessionaire of Hyderabad Metro Rail’s first phase, does not seem interested in taking it up in the second phase of the project. TS Chief Secretary S.P. Singh said during a meeting on the airport’s development, that if L&T is not interested, the government will look to others to develop the link.
Mr Singh discussed with officials immediate expansion plans for the airport, long term plans for city development, external infrastructure and urban development in the airport influence zone and metro rail connectivity to the airport. It was generally felt that the growing traffic necessitated enhancement of connectivity to the airport, both by improving roads along key access corridors and extending Metro rail connectivity to the airport.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) had earlier raised some objections to Metro link connectivity, but later accepted it. GHIAL’s chief executive officer SGK Kishore made a presentation at the meeting on airport development, in which he said with the growing traffic needed Metro rail connectivity.
Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMRL)’s managing director informed the Chief Secretary that a feasibility study of the airport Metro link of 30.3 km, connecting Raidurg Metro station in Hyderabad to the airport at Shamshabad, had been concluded. He also said that L&T had not shown interest in taking up the project as the concessionaire, although the company was keen to explore participation in the project on an engineering and construction contract (ECC) system.
The Chief Secretary directed HMRL to put up a note to the Chief Minister on the proposed airport Metro link through the municipal administration department. He said that L&T should explore taking up the airport Metro link since it has the infrastructure and expertise developed for the first phase, but the state government could also go ahead with other options.
He also directed the officials present to take up the matter of providing necessary endorsement and recommendation by central government to NITI Aayog on the ECC project to enable sanction of Viability Gap Fund (VGF) support for the project.
