Hyderabad Metro Rail has reached another significant milestone with the number of passengers travelling on trains crossing the three lakh mark for the first time on Wednesday.
Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy informed on Thursday that a record 3.06 lakh passengers had taken Metro trains and Metro stations had experienced 3.23 lakh footfall.
In about four months since the Hi-Tec City station was opened for commercial operations, it has become the number one station with as many as 23,607 passengers utilising the facility and 42,000 footfall.
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Mr. Reddy stated that the Hi-Tec City ‘reversal’ work has been completed in all aspects and this would enable running of Metro trains ‘normally’ between Jubilee Hills Check Post station and Hi-Tec City station in the “next few days” after obtaining the mandatory safety clearances.
This means, Metro rail authorities would be able to introduce and run trains with a frequency of five minutes or reduce it further to trains running every three minutes during peak hours, if required, to and from Hi-Tec City, in all directions.
Right now, trains are running packed-to-capacity towards Hi-Tec City station during peak hours and there has been a clamour for increasing the three-coach trains to six-coach trains. But, Metro officials are confident that increasing the frequency would be sufficient to handle the rush for some more time although stations are built to handle longer trains.
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Frequency in this section (to and from Hi-Tec City station) is between 7.5-15 minutes, as trains are being run on twin single lines from Ameerpet/Jubilee Hills stations at lower speeds. Extra trains are also being run from Begumpet and Ameerpet stations.
With Metro viaduct ready till Raidurg terminal station (Mindspace junction), trains can now go up to Hotel Trident, take a reverse and return to the other side of Hi-Tec City station or platform number two.
HMR MD confirmed that trial runs between Hi-Tec City and Raidurg would also start soon once the station was ready.
Ameerpet interchange station for Corridor 1 (L.B. Nagar to Miyapur) and Corridor 3 (Nagole to Hi-Tec City) saw 20,841 entry and 18,284 exit of passengers; L.B. Nagar station 17,248/17,139; Miyapur station 16,671/14,612; KPHB station 15,562/11,511 and MGBS 4,751/12,427. Corridor One - 1,91,156/1,83,854.
Corridor 3: Total 1,31,458 entry/ 1,31,027 exit - Hi-Tec City station 23,607/18,175; Uppal station 10,719/8,297; Secunderabad East station 10,121/19,701; Parade Grounds station 9,246/12,473.
Flag unfurled
HMR MD N.V.S. Reddy unfurled the national flag at the Metro Rail Bhavan on the occasion of Independence Day and recalled the sacrifices made by countless freedom fighters during the national movement.
The Metro rail project has won 75 national and international awards with its financial and engineering innovations, he added.