Vijayawada

12 January 2020 00:10 IST

The two-phase, 80-km facility is estimated to cost ₹16,000 crore

Ahead of the decision to shift Secretariat to Visakhapatnam, decks have been cleared for the revised Visakhapatnam Metro Rail Project.

The government has come up with a new plan, extending the metro rail stretch from 42.55 km to 80 km.

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The two-phased project is estimated to cost ₹16,000 crore, and will be completed by 2024, according to a top official.

Beyond the metro rail, the government is planning to bring in the tram system, which is popular in Kolkata, to ease the situation in the areas where traffic is lesser compared to that in the metro corridors.

In an exclusive interaction with The Hindu, Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation (AMRC) Managing Director N.P. Ramakrishna Reddy said that a detailed study of traffic from Anakapalle to Bhogapuram had already been conducted by the Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC).

“We are proposing Metro Rail in the areas where traffic is high. The remaining places, where there is lesser traffic, we are planning to come up with trams. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be completed in six months, and the ground work is expected to begin in 10 to 12 months,” he said.

“Once executed, the 80-km Metro Rail project from steel plant to Bhogapuram airport will be the biggest of its kind in the world,” Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy claimed.

Earlier, the Hyderabad Metro Rail was touted to be the biggest with 72-km stretch.

The government is currently in the process of identifying a consultant to prepare the DPR.

‘Less financial burden’

Unlike in the previous model, the government is planning one that entails least financial burden on the exchequer.

“The idea is to have least government spend by giving concessions and land to the executing company. I’m confident of making the project most viable despite financial hurdles. We could convert the Hyderabad International Airport, Shamshabad, which was initially thought to be the most unviable one, as financially most viable,” Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy added.

For the record, Mr. Reddy had played a key role in the implementation of the international airport in the combined State.

‘Rechargeable trams’

The government is keen on developing trams in stretches totalling 60 km – NAD to Pendurthi, steel plant to Anakapalle and Old Post Office to Bheemili via Rushikonda on the Beach Road. These trams are most likely to be rechargeable ones.

“We have such trams in some of the advanced countries. Our CM is interested in having such a system here. These sophisticated trams can charge their batteries within a few minutes of their halt at stations,” Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy said.

He put the estimated cost of trams at ₹100 core to ₹120 crore per km.

It is given to understand that the government also proposes to change the name of AMRC to Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation to suit its activities across the State.