State proposes Rs 16,000 crore Metro and Tram project for Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, India (Urban Transport News): The Andhra Pradesh government has come with a revised plan for the development of the metro rail and tram project for Visakhapatnam city. According to the revised plan, the stretch of the Visakhapatnam metro rail project will extend from 42.55 km to 80 km and the project will be developed in two phases by the year 2024. Apart from this, a 60-km long new Rubber Tyre based Tram project will be introduced in the city to ease public transport connectivity for the low-density area. A total of Rs 16,000 crore is estimated for both projects.

We are proposing Metro Rail in the areas where traffic is high. The remaining places, where there is lesser traffic, we are planning to come up with trams. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be completed in six months, and the groundwork is expected to begin in 10 to 12 months.

“Once executed, the 80-km Metro Rail project from steel plant to Bhogapuram airport will be the biggest of its kind in the world,” Reddy added. Sources said that the Andhra Pradesh government is currently in the process of identifying a consultant to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) for the Metro as well as the Tram project. The Tram is considered as an alternative of metro rail project to decrease the financial burden on the government.

The idea is to have the least government spend by giving concessions and land to the executing company. I’m confident of making the project most viable despite financial hurdles. We could convert the Hyderabad International Airport, Shamshabad, which was initially thought to be the most unviable one, as financially most viable.

The State government is very keen on developing rechargeable trams on a total of 60-km long stretch comprising three corridors viz. NAD to Pendurthi, Steel Plant to Anakapalle and Old Post Office to Bheemili via Rushikonda on the Beach Road.

We have such trams in some of the advanced countries. Our CM is interested in having such a system here. These sophisticated trams can charge their batteries within a few minutes of their halt at stations.

According to a rough estimate, the Tram project will cost Rs 100 crore to Rs 120 crore per kilometer. In line with Gujarat Metro, Uttar Pradesh Metro, the government is also planning to rename the Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation to Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (APMRC) to implement the future metro rail projects in the State.