PM Narendra Modi inaugurates first phase of Hyderabad Metro

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates first phase of Hyderabad metro…..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the first phase of the Hyderabad Metro.PM Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao took a short ride on the Metro along with other dignitaries. 

While throwing the metro, PM Modi said, “We believe in cooperative federalism. There is no question of discriminating against states where we are not in power. We are committed to the overall development of our country.” About the ongoing Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in the capital, Modi said, “Today, the attention of the world is on Hyderabad. This city is hosting a prestigious international summit where industry leaders from the world are joining.”

The first phase of the metro stretches 30-km in distance, a record in itself, and covers a total of 24 stations, including town hubs like Secunderabad.  “This will be the longest stretch for any metro in our country being unveiled on day one. We are going to start the stretch of 30-kms, from Nagole to Miyapur,” Telangana minister KT Rama Rao said.

The metro fares in first-phase have been fixed between Rs 10 and Rs 60, with passengers being given the facility of using smart cards along with tokens. “We will be issuing smart cards worth Rs 200 each for commuters. They can top up the card. For a single journey, we will issue tokens that would allow them to board the train,” a senior L&T Metro Rail official told.

The Hyderabad metro has special facilities for people with disabilities, including road-level ramps for wheelchairs, wide corridors for easy manoeuvrability at stations, extra wide automated fare collection gates, spacious lifts with Braille buttons and a tactile strip till the edge of the platform to help the visually challenged navigate better.

The Telangana government will soon link the metro station with the facility of feeder buses from the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC). The government also plans on launching a mobile app called ‘T Savari’ to provide a quick interface and better information to the public.

Built at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore by L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd, the project has been divided into three corridors. The government will initially run three-coach trains and increase their strengths at a later stage.