Hyderabad: Starting April 21, Saturday, the Metro frequency between Miyapur-Ameerpet-Nagole stretch will function every seven minutes during peak hours and eight minutes all through the non-peak hours.
This frequency will directly reduce the travel time taken between Metro inter-change junctions. The journey time between Nagole to Secunderabad stretch will be 16 minutes, Nagole to Ameerpet will be 32 minutes and Nagole to Miyapur would be 55 minutes.
During peak hours (8 am to 11 am) and (5 pm to 8 pm), there will be a train available every seven minutes. The rest of the hours, the frequency of Metro will be eight minutes on both Red (Miyapur to Ameerpet) and Blue (Nagole to Ameerpet) lines. The Metro Rail authorities have also indicated that the frequency will be accelerated further in the near future depending on the rush.
The increased frequency of Metro trains was possible due to the clearance of the new signalling system by the commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS).
An official statement read, “L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited is happy to announce increased frequency and speed of the Hyderabad Metro Rail services from 6 am, April 21, 2018. After checking the functioning of Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system, the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) has issued authorisation certificate to adopt CBTC system. This enables CBTC to run trains with increased frequency and speed on Nagole to Ameerpet section of Blue line.”
“The Red and Blue line trains at Ameerpet Metro station will be synchronised to enable smooth and efficient passenger transfer. If this augurs well for Metro Rail commuters, the frequency will be further increased as per demand in future,” said Mr N.V.S Reddy, HMR managing director.
However, Hyderabad is still lagging behind when compared to Metros that run in other cities. The Delhi Metro runs every 3.30 minutes during peak time, while Chennai (CMRL) recently increased their frequency to five minutes during rush period. Bengaluru Metro operates every six minutes.
At present, about 60,000 people use the Hyderabad Metro daily. Trains are moderately crowded during the morning and evening hours. But they run nearly empty early mornings, late afternoons, and late nights.
