HYDERABAD : With the launch of another 11-km stretch on Friday, Hyderabad Metro Rail has become the second largest metro rail network in the country after Delhi.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao flagged off of the metro train on Green Line stretch from Jubliee Bus Station (JBS) to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS), connecting the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

The opening of metro service on this stretch will facilitate movement of commuters between two largest and busiest Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus stations in Telangana. It passes through several important landmarks like Parade Grounds, Musheerabad, RTC Cross Roads and Sultan Bazar.

Hyderabad Metro Rail, the world's largest public-private partnership project, is now the second largest operational metro network in the country covering 69.2 kms, the officials said.

After inaugurating the stretch, the Chief Minister along with some of his cabinet colleagues and senior officials travelled from JBS to Chikkadpally.

View Full Image In March 2019, the stretch between Ameerpet and Hi- Tec City was inaugurated.

The JBS-MGBS stretch is part of Corridor II JBS-Falaknuma (14.78 km). The work on the stretch from MGBS on Musi river to Falaknuma, the famous palace in the old city, is yet to start.

The stretch, which has nine metro stations, is expected to reduce travel time to just 16 minutes from one end to the other, as against 45 minutes by road.

MGBS inter-change station, which is said to be the largest metro station in the country, connects the Green Line to Red Line or corridor I from L. B. Nagar to Miyapur (29 km). At JBS, Green Line is connected to Blue Line or corridor III from Nagole to Raidurg (29 km).

It was on November 28, 2017 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated first section Miyapur-Ameerpet-Nagole. In 2018, second section Ameerpet-L.B. Nagar was opened. Third section Ameerpet-Hitec City (10 km) was thrown open on March 20, 2019. Another 1.5 km stretch from Hitec City to Raidurg was commissioned in November last year.

Hyderabad Metro is already carrying more than four lakh passengers with 780 trips every day.

Barring MGBS-Falaknuma, the entire project has now been completed. The 73-km elevated metro is the biggest metro project in the world in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode at a total cost of ₹20,000 crore.

View Full Image JBS Parade Ground metro station.

"The iconic Hyderabad Metro Rail project ranks among one of most prestigious projects that we have executed," said S.N. Subrahmanyan, CEO and Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro.

He hoped that this would go a long way to transform Hyderabad into a more modern and commuter-friendly city.

"L&T is proud to have created a best-in-class, eco-friendly urban mobility system for the people of Hyderabad to global benchmarks to enhance commuter safety and comfort and reduce travel time," said K.V.B. Reddy, MD and CEO, L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Ltd.

He described it an engineering marvel. L&T utilised cutting edge technologies like Communication Based Train Controls (CBTC), and Regenerative Rolling Stocks for the project.

The 11-km 'Corridor II Green Line,' featuring nine stations, connects the twin cities of Secunderabad with Hyderabad at the MGBS on the Musi river. It isexpected to reduce travel time to just 16 minutes from one end to the other, as against 45 minutes by road, according to an L&T press release. The world's largest public-private partnership, the Hyderabad Metro Rail is now the second largest operational metro network in the country covering 69.2 kms, the release said. The JBS Parade Ground metro station is one of the tallest in the project with five levels, it said. Spread over three lakh square feet, the MGBS Interchange Metro station is one of the largest in the country with several special features, the release said.

Uniquely built, the station houses the interchange between Corridors Iand II with three levels with each, again split into two, as one corridor passes over the other, it said.

As builders of nations, we are proud to be doing the projects that make India proud and the iconic Hyderabad Metro Rail project ranks among one of most prestigious projects that we have executed, the release quotedS N Subrahmanyan,CEO and managing director of Larsen & Toubro , as saying. In November 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Miyapur and Nagole stretch of the rail project. In September 2018, another stretch between Ameerpet to L B Nagar was commissioned.

View Full Image Gandhi Hospital metro station

In March 2019, the stretch between Ameerpet and Hi- Tec City was inaugurated.

In November 2019, another stretch between Hitec City station and Raidurg was opened

The launch of Metro rail services between JBS and MGBS had its share of reactions from political leaders of different parties since the last two days.

Amazing that you have funds for JBS & MGBS, when will @hmrgov start and complete MGBS to FALAKNUMA?, tweeted Asaduddin Owaisi, president of AIMIM which is a friendly party of the ruling TRS.

Falaknuma is located in the old city of Hyderabad.

Former state Congress president and ex-minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said on Friday that the Hyderabad Metro Rail became a reality because of the farsightedness of the previous Congress regime. Saying that Chief Minister Rao had earlier opposed Metro rail, on the ground that it would hurt livelihood of thousands of people dependent on traditional shopping centres at Sultan Bazar in the city, Laxmaiah alleged that the project got delayed because of Rao.

Watch Live: Honourable CM Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao inaugurating #HyderabadMetroRail JBS to MGBS corridor. https://t.co/UczD1jTa1J — Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) February 7, 2020

In March 2019, the stretch between Ameerpet and Hi- Tec City was inaugurated.

In November 2019, another stretch between Hitec City station and Raidurg was opened

The launch of Metro rail services between JBS and MGBS had its share of reactions from political leaders of different parties since the last two days.

Amazing that you have funds for JBS & MGBS, when will @hmrgov start and complete MGBS to FALAKNUMA?, tweeted Asaduddin Owaisi, president of AIMIM which is a friendly party of the ruling TRS.

Falaknuma is located in the old city of Hyderabad.

Former state Congress president and ex-minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said on Friday that the Hyderabad Metro Rail became a reality because of the farsightedness of the previous Congress regime. Saying that Chief Minister Rao had earlier opposed Metro rail, on the ground that it would hurt livelihood of thousands of people dependent on traditional shopping centres at Sultan Bazar in the city, Laxmaiah alleged that the project got delayed because of Rao.

Watch Live: Honourable CM Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao inaugurating #HyderabadMetroRail JBS to MGBS corridor. https://t.co/UczD1jTa1J — Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) February 7, 2020

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