Punjagutta, Hitec Metro stations to stand tall

Flying over flyovers, these stations will need to stand at a height of 60 feet. The two stations would be three-level stations, having an estimated height of up to 60 feet or 18 metres.

Beautiful view of power transmitting towers installed on the elevated Metro rail project inducts between Nagole Ð Mettuguda corridor work is under progress in Hyderabad..-Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Stations at Punjagutta and Hitec City would be the tallest among the 66 planned across all three corridors of the elevated Hyderabad Metro Rail.

The two stations would be three-level stations, having an estimated height of up to 60 feet or 18 metres.

They would also encompass two concourses and the actual platform on top, where the train would halt.

The Punjagutta station has to built at such height because the viaduct of Corridor-I from Miyapur to L.B. Nagar has to ‘jump’ over the existing flyover at Punjagutta.

Another unique feature of the station is that it would be a portal station, or one that employs U-shaped piers, unlike the single-pier that would be in use in most stations.

The Metro station at Hitec City, which is located on Corridor-III from Raidurg to Nagole, also has to ‘jump’ over the flyover before veering towards the left to proceed towards the culminating point, explained HMR Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy.

The project faces engineering challenges in crossing over or flying alongside existing flyovers in a dozen locations on the 72-km stretch on the three corridors.

The Metro viaduct would also be jumping right at considerable heights over the Narayanaguda flyover on Corridor-II passing on the Jubilee Bus Station-Secunderabad-Falaknuma route, and also the Nalgonda crossroads on Corridor-I.

Besides, the Metro Rail viaduct would also be crossing over the flyover at Greenlands and will curve right towards the Dharam-Karam road.

It will run parallel at the following sites – to the left of Tarnaka flyover (from Nagole direction), to the right of the Hari Hara Kala Bhavan and CTO flyovers, right of the Begumpet airport flyover, the left of Begumpet flyover, the right of Sanatnagar flyover and the flyover at Khairatabad.

Over rail lines

With the Indian Railways running double-decker trains, it had insisted on overhead clearance for the Metro Rail at locations where it would be crossing over railway bridges. At these locations, the stations would be at a height of up to 20 metres, or 65 feet.

These would be at Alugadda Bhavi, Mettuguda, Oliphanta Bridge, Begumpet, Gandhi Hospital, Bharatnagar, Lakidikapul and Malakpet.