The familiar steel blue three-coach trains with their distinct hoot are seen these days atop the metro viaduct moving from Ameerpet interchange metro station to L.B. Nagar as part of trial runs.
The 16-km stretch, when commissioned for public use as soon as the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) gives the green signal, would also mean completion of corridor one of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project.
A key station in corridor one that comprises 27 overhead stations would be the MGBS (Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station) interchange station. If regular metro travellers marvel at the currently-functional Ameerpet interchange station, they should check this out for its sheer size.
Biggest in Asia
The two-tier station is touted to be among the biggest in Asia with a total built-up space of 2.8 lakh sq. ft! But half of it or the lower tier would be for corridor one as the upper tier is for corridor two from JBS to MGBS, which is still under construction. “Passengers will have access to the first-level concourse and platform of the MGBS station. This is where corridor one will pass through,” explains HMR MD N.V.S. Reddy.
Built near the existing TSRTC’s MGBS, the metro station, which is getting the finishing touches, has been built on 58 piers of six grids. It stretches up to 460 ft lengthwise and has a girth of 150 ft. The giant station would have entries and exits through stairs, lifts and escalators, plus two huge skywalks that are 600-ft long and 15-ft wide to connect to the bus station platforms from Rangamahal side and another towards Chaderghat. Apart from parking for bikes and four-wheelers, the most interesting part is HMR finalising plans to drastically improve the surrounding ground-scape below the metro viaduct. The entire stretch would form part of the ‘Heritage Corridor’ being planned from Nampally station onwards with designer footpaths, railings, street furniture, landscaping and so on. “We are considering several designs in laying of cobble stones, paver blocks, and usage of Tandur stone with colour patterns. I promise you fantastic aesthetics in six months which this part of the city has never seen,” asserts Mr. Reddy.
