INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao inaugurated the Hyderabad metro on November 28. Revenue services starting the following day on what has become the 10th metro network in India.
Two lines have opened, which share an interchange at Ameerpet. Line 1 is 12·2 km long and serves 11 stations between Miyapur in the northwest and Ameerpet. The 17·6 km Line 3 links Ameerpet with Nagole in the east, serving 14 stations.
Construction was undertaken under a 35-year DBFOT concession awarded to Larsen & Toubro in 2010. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in April 2012, and phased testing began in August 2014.
Services are operated by Keolis under a €300m operations and maintenance contract running for eight years with an optional three-year extension. Initial services run every 15 min between 06.00 and 22.00 using a fleet of 18 three-car trainsets supplied by Hyundai Rotem. The South Korean manufacturer was awarded an Rs18bn contract in 2012 to supply 57 trainsets for the whole of the three-line Phase 1. Thales has supplied SelTrac CBTC signalling.
When completed, Phase 1 would form a 72 km three-line network. Lines 1 and 3 are to be extended, and a north-south Line 2 would be added.
