The Hyderabad Metro Rail project is gearing up to launch its next stage between Ameerpet and L.B. Nagar (16 km) thereby completing work on the entire Corridor One between Miyapur and L.B. Nagar (29 km).
But to reach here, the metro rail authorities had to come up with innovative solutions even after the alignment of three corridors was finalised, to build overhead viaduct, stations, entry-exit points and so on.
The issues were either land acquisition, legal tangles, topography or political ones. For instance, metro line piers were supposed to have been built inside Osmania University at Tarnaka with the University College of Arts & Social Sciences station design resembling the college building and an exclusive skywalk to it under Corridor Three from Nagole to Hi-Tec City/Raidurg. It could not happen as separate statehood agitation was on its peak.
Similarly, for Corridor Two from Jubilee Bus Station to MGBS, Imlibun, the plan was to build piers inside the University College for Women at Koti and an overhead station with an exclusive skywalk into the college for students.
“We had an understanding with the university to tackle all encroachments on its land at our cost, utilise the space for piers and provide skywalks to colleges. We assured to spruce up the areas too. But the political climate was too charged up to take it forward, so we had to build piers on the main road crunching the space for vehicular traffic,” said HMR officials.
Another quick solution had to be found when it was realised that Corridor Two could not be taken beyond MGBS towards Falaknuma owing to opposition from the ruling party’s ally. Falaknuma was also to house a maintenance depot spread across 17 acres, but uncertainty with regard to building the line till the terminal station and land not being handed over to L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH), the officials had to think of an alternative.
In consultation with Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), the government’s Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), it was decided to construct an extra line connecting Corridor Two and Corridor Three between new Gandhi Hospital and Bhoiguda junction through Padmaraonagar road towards Chilakalguda for about a kilometre without any stations.
“It’s not a regular service line and will help in moving the metro trains running on Corridor Two onto Corridor Three so that they can be moved to Uppal depot for maintenance work. We have a similar facility at Ameerpet station, where if need be, we can shift trains from Corridor One and Corridor Three,” said HMR MD N.V.S. Reddy.
