Hyderabad Metro: The Telangana government has approved Phase II-B of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project, paving the way for further expansion of the city’s metro network. The new phase will cover three corridors with a total length of 86.1 km and will be executed as a joint venture between the state and central governments.

According to a recent government order, the Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML) will undertake the project at an estimated cost of Rs 19,579 crore. The three corridors under Phase II-B include Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) to Future City (Skills University) covering 39.6 km (Corridor IX), Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) to Medchal stretching 24.5 km (Corridor X) and JBS to Shamirpet extending 22 km (Corridor XI). These routes were proposed by HAML Managing Director NVS Reddy, as reported by The Hindu report.

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The funding for the project will follow a shared model. The state government will contribute Rs 5,874 crore (30 per cent), while the Centre will provide Rs 3,254 crore (18 per cent). A loan of Rs 9,398 crore (48 per cent) will be raised through international financial agencies such as JICA, ADB and NDB. The remaining Rs 783 crore (4 per cent) will come from public-private partnerships (PPP).

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Earlier, the Telangana government had also cleared Phase II-A of the Metro Rail project, which involves five corridors covering 76.4 km with an estimated cost of Rs 24,269 crore. The proposal has been sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and is also planned as a joint venture with the Centre.

Highlighting the need for metro expansion, the order mentioned that the Metro Rail system plays a key role in easing traffic congestion and reducing pollution in Hyderabad. Phase I of the Hyderabad Metro Rail, which includes three corridors covering 69.2 km, was completed at a cost of Rs 22,000 crore and remains the world’s largest metro project under PPP mode.