HMR to re-align Metro route at Assembly, Sultan Bazar

Hyderabad, June 15 (INN): The Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd has agreed to realign the route at the Assembly and the revised proposal has been approved by the Telangana Government.

Speaking to media persons here on Monday, HMR Chief Engineer Mohd Ziauddin said that the metro rail route would now pass from Lalitha Kalathoranam, backside of Jubilee Hall and DGP office. He said that the HMR would have relocate/demolish 23 pillars which have already been constructed.

It may be mentioned that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had objected to passing of Metro Rail from Gun Park opposite Assembly building. The HMR has also changed the route at Sultan Bazar, as asked by the Chief Minister.

The Narayanguda - MG Bus Station corridor will now pass through Koti Women's College and Osmania Medical College. Ziauddin said that the final route would be finalised soon as the new alignment would affect one heritage building in Women's College. Works are also on to finalise the Metro Rail route in the Old City. The Falaknuma corridor will pass through Musi River, Salarjung Museum, Puranapul, Bahadurpura, Eidgah Mir Alam, Tadban, Shamsheerganj to Falaknuma. This will be 3.5 kilometre longer than the originally proposed route.

Ziauddin informed that the about 1,000 MM Water Line and 600 MM Sewerage Line was getting affected on the route from Narayanaguda - Musheerabad.

He informed that HMR will have large spans at major junctions like Khairtabad, Punjagutta and MJ Market by constructing cast-in-situ (on-site) construction of viaduct. He said that maximum care has been taken in finalisation of pier (pillar) locations at all the important junctions by considering free movement of road traffic. Normally the pillars of Metro are kept at 100 ft spacing whereas at important junctions the pillars are kept at about 200 ft spacing so as to have clear vision to all the vehicle drivers in every direction.

Ziauddin informed that so far about 1800 (65%) piers and foundations have been completed and viaduct has been completed for about 38 km length (out of a total 72 km). "The works are progressing at a brisk pace in all the corridors and L&T has deployed about 16 launching girders for erection fo viaduct segments by lifting it from the top," he said. All the seven Metro Rail stations in Stage-1 namely Nagole, Uppal, SOI, NGRI, Habsiguda, Tarnaka and Mettuguda are completed.

He also informed that there are plans to extend HMR by 88 KM and the plans have been to the State Government for approval. The consultant has submitted proposals suggesting extension of HMR up to 400 KM. He said that Metro Rail drivers are undergoing training of 400 hours at Nagole station. Of 56 trains, 33 have already arrived in the city, he said.

Ziauddin has recently undergone training on Sustainable Urban Transport at Dubai which was sponsored by World Bank and he was nominated by the Union Ministry of Urban Development. He informed that the best practices adopted by Dubai Metro Rail would also be considered by HMR for better efficiency.