Hyderabad Metro phase I to be completed by 2014: officials

Work related to Hyderabad Metro Rail is progressing at a brisk pace and phase 1 of the project will be completed by 2014 as per schedule despite the "challenges," officials said. "Year 2012 is a landmark for Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR).

Belying doom-sayers' predictions, work on the project is progressing at a brisk pace and we have so far completed construction of 351 piers in three stages. Other major work like workshops and central control room, etc. is also progressing fast," HMR managing director NVS Reddy and Larsen & Toubro (L&T)  metro rail Hyderabad managing director VB Gadgil said.

They told mediapersons late last night that HMR would have a state-of-the-art communication-based train control system, the first of its kind in India. "Structures and systems being used for HMR will also be superior. We will also have aesthetic, linear and beautiful metro stations with cantilever designs," they added.

Each metro station would be built on a single pier. The first consignment of rails for the project would arrive from France in the first week of February. "We are quite aware of the challenges in urban infrastructure development. But challenges are like tonic for L&T,"  Mr Gadgil noted.

Not only the country but also the world was looking at the HMR project as it was the largest such project taken up in public-private partnership mode. "There are differences (between HMR and L&T) but they are issue-based. We are sorting them out. The project will set benchmarks," Mr Gadgil said in reply to a question.