The Hyderabad Metro Rail hit a record of sorts as it witnessed 2.8 lakh passengers on Friday on Corridor 1 (Miyapur to L.B Nagar) and Corridor 3 (Nagole to HiTec City).
Speaking to reporters Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) Managing Director N V S Reddy said that Ameerpet saw the highest footfall of 19,000 passengers, as it was an interchange station connecting two corridors. This was followed by Hitec City with a footfall of 18,000 passengers. L B Nagar and Miyapur, the end stops of two corridors saw a footfall of 16,000 and 14,000 each.
“On an average, we are noticing an increase of 5,000 passengers per week with the count steadily climbing as more first and last mile connectivity is being established with introduction of shuttle services,” Reddy was quoted as saying.
Speaking about the patronage and also the high footfall at Ameerpet station, Reddy told reporters, "Nearly 1.39 lakh passengers are travelling through smart card, which is again an indication of increase in regular customers. The footfall in Ameepet is mainly due to people visiting the station for shopping and dining at the restaurants. Their count is not monitored as many shops and restaurants are in the ‘unpaid’ area of the station. This is an indication of how Metro stations are now slowly becoming hubs for activities and turning into hang out places in the city. Much more is in the offing."
In May this year, the HMRL said that it had completed work on a 66-km stretch by erecting the 2599th pillar near the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS), exactly 2,599 days after work started on the project in 2012. With this, the entire project barring a 6-km stretch in Hyderabad's Old City area, has been completed.
Touted to be the largest metro in the world under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the entire project is expected to be completed by December 2019. The HMRL is drawing plans to extend the project to Shamshabad to provide metro service to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA).