Centre likely to clear Vizag Metro project

The Centre is expected to clear the long-pending Visakhapatnam Metro Rail project shortly, with the proposed double-decker corridor likely to be reduced to about 13 km from the 20 km sought by the Andhra Pradesh government, following a technical review by RITES.

Sources said the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is examining the report submitted by RITES, the government-owned engineering consultancy, which has recommended limiting the double-decker section to around 13 km. The remaining portion of the proposed 46.23-km metro network is expected to be developed as a conventional elevated corridor.

The Centre is expected to take a final decision on the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) after examining the RITES recommendations. The decision is likely to determine the final alignment and the extent of the double-decker section, paving the way for implementation of one of Andhra Pradesh’s largest urban transport projects.

The present proposal envisages a double-decker corridor comprising an elevated metro line with a roadway beneath it. However, MoHUA is understood to have expressed reservations over the road component, maintaining that metro rail systems are intended to promote public transport and reduce traffic congestion rather than create additional road capacity.

Although the State government retained a 20-km double-decker stretch in the revised DPR, the proposal was referred to RITES for an independent technical assessment. According to sources, the consultancy concluded that a 13-km double-decker corridor would adequately meet the city’s transport requirements and recommended that the remaining network be executed as a conventional elevated metro corridor.

The State government has maintained that metro rail projects, though not always commercially viable, are essential to meeting the long-term mobility needs of a rapidly expanding Visakhapatnam, particularly in view of the city’s growth towards Madhurawada and the proposed Bhogapuram International Airport.

Speaking at a programme on Thursday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said the RITES report was under examination by MoHUA and expressed confidence that the project would receive the Centre’s approval shortly.