Major towns and cities that are located within a radius of up to 200 km from Hyderabad have been proposed for faster connectivity with the capital through a dedicated and efficient train network.
The Comprehensive Transportation Study for Hyderabad Metropolitan Area taken up on behalf of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has mooted 11 commuter rail networks to connect the city with nearby towns and cities.
The inter-city service, however, has been proposed as emanating from the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road and establishing connectivity to places that could be reached in one to two hours on dedicated tracks.
The idea to have the inter-city services from the city fringes has been made to free and facilitate better use of the presently available rail tracks for intra-city services such as MMTS and suburban train operations.
Presently, the available inter-city services also use the same tracks but the increasing patronage for local train service required dedicated tracks, the report says.
Four new passenger terminals for inter-city operations have been proposed by the South Central Railway at Moula Ali and Edulnagulpalle, both to be operational by the year 2021, Manoharabad (2031) and Shamshabad (2041).
Directional terminals now proposed to cater to the needs of inter-city passengers include destinations such as Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar, Warangal, Sangareddy, Khammam, Adilabad and Kurnool.
HMDA Commissioner Neerabh Kumar Prasad, who recently presented the Comprehensive Transportation Study report for suggestions and objections from public, said the inter-city mass transit system has been proposed with the South Central Railway on separate lines. “The aim is to ensure that these destinations become reachable in an hour to two hours time,” he said.
