There is a certain charm about riding in Metro trains for commuters who like routines — no traffic, no noise, cool ambience, strict timelines and rapid transit. Hyderabad took a major leap towards being a complete cosmopolitan city when the first phase of the Metro Rail was inaugurated last November. With a frequency of under 10 minutes, the Metro Rail which has already attracted a loyal pile of commuters offers an eco-friendly mode of transportation, lowering the traffic and sound pollution levels, not to mention the benefits of a dust-free, air-conditioned commute.
Of the three routes — Blue, Red, and Green — a part of the Red and a part of the Blue lines have been operational for a little under six months. While the city nurtures its Metro-culture, we also eagerly await a few stations that will make the city a lot friendlier to tourists and city-hoppers who love public transport — how else can you enjoy a montage of sights from the city, while enjoying your music and reading a book?
Already with hundreds of saplings that will add a welcome verdant look to the whole route, and the portraits on the pillars of various greats hailing from this part of the country, the Metro is already adding a velvet touch to India’s No.1 city to live.
Take for example the Hitec City station on the Blue line. Not too far from the completion date, this station will connect two different parts of the city — the vintage side to the once-suburb-now-sparkling side. Given how many employees work in the IT corridor, this station will hopefully bring down the traffic during peak hours. We can hope to bid farewell to several bottlenecks that bring traffic to a standstill between Secunderabad and Madhapur.
The Green line too has stations which are eagerly anticipated not only for the amount of traffic the route encounters but also for the historical significance of some of the monuments close to those stations. The four stations on the south-end of that route — Sultan Bazaar, Salarjung Museum, Charminar and Falaknuma. These four, once operational, will ensure tourists can enjoy a great day visiting the city’s biggest attractions.
The Metro Rail can ensure that tourists on a tight day can squeeze in all the quaint attractions — some pearl-shopping and sipping Irani chai near the Charminar, gaping at the vintage cars in Falaknuma and turning back the clock at Salarjung Museum.
These four stations on the Green route will connect the city’s historic attractions to the Jubilee Bus Station and the Parade Grounds, two well-connected hubs from another end of the city.
Once the Red line is completed, a large chunk of the population living in the vicinity of the IT corridor — Miyapur to Kukatpally — will have comfortable access to the older history-soaked alleys that let you revel in the aromas and flavours of the city of Nawabs.
The station that completes our list is the one at the Jubilee Check Post. The Check Post terminal should make the ‘lungs of the city’, the KBR Park, more accessible.
As the mid-2018 deadline, an ambitious one, creeps closer for most of the stations, Hyderabadis can’t wait for the drawstrings of the metro to pull in their city closer to the centre.
