Hyderabad | L&T Metro Rail planning to introduce more three-coach train sets

Work is on to increase the passenger holding capacity at Ameerpet, LB Nagar, Parade Grounds and Raidurg stations

Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) passengers can look forward to better travelling comfort with L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH), the firm that has built and operates the service, planning to introduce five new train sets of three coaches each to begin with and initiate the national common mobility card in the coming months.

“We are discussing with BEML that makes Metro coaches similar to ours (sourced from Hyundai, South Korea) about the price and evaluating other options. We are planning to go for 10 three-coach train sets, with a staggered delivery of five train sets each,” said L&TMRH Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer K.V.B. Reddy.

While he did not give a time frame for the new train sets for the already commissioned first phase of the project of 69.2 km spread over three corridors – Red Line: LB Nagar to Miyapur (29 km), Blue Line: Nagole to Raidurg (29 km) and Green Line: JBS to MGBS (11 km), the plan is to either attach the new trains to the existing three coach trains or run extra trains of three coaches each to increase the carrying capacity.

“We are running all the available 57 three-coach trains daily clocking almost 2.50 lakh passengers a day in both Red and Blue Lines, while it is about 25,000 on the Green Line making 1,075 trips. Our stations are equipped to run more trains – three-coach or six-coach ones at a frequency of less than two seconds also,” the MD, in an exclusive interaction, said.

Usually about 7-8% train sets are kept on the standby but such is the demand that short loop services are being run between Raidurg-Mettuguda and Begumpet during peak hours in the morning (7.45 a.m. to 10.45 a.m.) and evening (5 p.m. to 8.30 p.m).

Trains at a frequency of 2.50 to 5 minutes during the peak hours

Starting from 20,000 passengers in November 2017, the ridership has grown to 4.75 lakh a day at an average and reached a peak of 5.64 lakh. “We are running trains at a frequency of 2.50 to 5 minutes during the peak hours and 7-10 minutes during non-peak hours. Our punctuality is 99.86% indicating our reliability of service. We have not raised fares for the last seven years too,” he pointed out.

Acknowledging peak hour crowding, he said that each train can carry 900 passengers and currently, it is about 750-800. And, if passengers could disperse from the doors towards vestibule or take rucksacks off the back, it could ease up some space, he added.

Work at station with higher footfall

Work is on to increase the passenger holding capacity at Ameerpet, LB Nagar, Parade Grounds and Raidurg stations, where the footfall is higher, by plugging a few vacant spaces. Similarly, anti-gap rubber bushes are being introduced near the entry and exits into the trains in 12 stations as an additional safety measure. These works will be taken to all stations, said Mr. Reddy.

The MD insisted that the “technical glitches” leading to disruption of services have been brought down over the years and trains that have completed 10 lakh km are undergoing a complete overhaul. He also admitted that a common ticket card, first/last mile connectivity and parking are the pinpricks that needed to be addressed.

140 six-coach trains a day

L&TMRH has built the first phase infrastructure seven years ago to cater to 20 lakh passengers a day upto 2050. “We have carried 64 crore passengers and trains ran 4.32 km so far. We are now catering to 8% of passenger strength with the aim to take it to 10% by 2027 and 12% by 2032 with new trains, extension of lines and integration with other transport services. We are capable of running 140 six-coach trains a day,” he said.

Mr. Reddy asserted that operationally and financially, HMR is the number one Metro service in the country. “Despite cumulative losses, we are committed to make it the most efficient and best public transport system of the world. We want to be part of the Telangana growth story under the leadership of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and ready to participate in Phase-II construction,” he said.

Published - November 27, 2024 08:58 pm IST