Warangal: Metro plans on track

Hyderabad: The ball has been set rolling for Warangal to emerge as the second city in Telangana to have a metro rail after Hyderabad, with the detailed project report (DPR) that has already been prepared likely to be submitted to the State Cabinet soon.

Unlike the Hyderabad Metro, Warangals will be a Neo system and will be a combination of both At-Grade (ground level) and elevated system, covering a distance of 15.5 km with 21 stations, a senior official told Telangana Today.



The metro will run between Kazipet-Hanamkonda-Warangal via the District Police Office (DPO) junction.

Metro Neo is a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) providing low-cost, energy-efficient and eco-friendly urban transportation for tier-II and tier-III cities. It is a lighter and smaller system than the regular Metro systems and costs much less.

The Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA) has appointed the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) to examine the feasibility for an MRTS in Warangal. Subsequently, the Maha Metro prepared a DPR in conformity with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs guidelines and submitted it to the KUDA. It prepared the DPR for Nashik Metro as well, the official said.

The proposed Metro Neo, at ground level, will cover 7.1 km while the elevated system will cover 8.4 km with a dedicated corridor, totalling 15.5 km, the official said.

Among the 21 stations proposed for the project, 12 stations will be at elevated level and 9 at ground level. The speed of Warangal Neo would be 70 kmph while the scheduled speed would be 25 kmph.

Advanced signalling and telecommunications systems are being proposed for the Metro Neo. It will be equipped with Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system with anti-collision device. Traffic lights will be provided at major locations, and the coaches will be operated by drivers with a pre-defined speed limit. The entire operations will be monitored from a central command control.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao has been consistently reiterating that the State government is focused on developing tier-II and tier-III cities in the State on par with Hyderabad.

The government is working on the development of infrastructure, especially urban transportation for tier-II and tier-III cities, and accordingly, Metro Neo was proposed for Warangal.