The first model coach of Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), manufactured by Korean-based Hyundai-Rotterdam, is expected to reach the capital by this month-end, HMR officials said on Thursday. The prototype coach has already started its journey from South Korea through the high seas and is expected to reach Chennai at the earliest before being brought to Hyderabad by the end of this month.
On Thursday, during a visit to the Uppal depot by members of the 14 Financial Commission, Government of India, HMR Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy reiterated that the project is on schedule and the first 8-km stretch between Nagole and Mettuguda will be completed by December 2014.
“We are expecting to throw open the Nagole-Mettuguda stretch by Ugadi 2015. The model coach is being transported to reach us by the month-end. We have the late comer advantage and have ensured that the hi-tech coaches are equipped with all possible commuter-friendly features. We have learned a lot from the metro experiences of Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and other cities,” Mr. Reddy said. The 14 Finance Commission members including Sushama Nath, Dr. M. Govind Rao, Sudipto Mundle and other top officials interacted with HMR officials about the project. They also visited other Metro Rail work sites at Begumpet, Khairatabad before visiting the Mettuguda-Uppal stretch.
The Commission’s visit was also related to the release of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of Rs. 1,458 crore for the project, which was approved in May of this year. Under the VGF, the Central government meets up to 20 per cent of the capital cost of a project being implemented in the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode.
To a question, Mr. Reddy clarified that there was no plan to acquire any land from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Secunderabad.
