Santosh Patnaik Visakhapatnam

VisakhapatnamMetro Rail project, which was first conceived and envisaged in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, has finally received the in-principle clearance from the Union Government.

The project, when completed, is expected to make mobility easy in the State's largest urban conglomeration and give easy access to the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, located 50 km away at Bhogapuram from the city centre.

State Municipal Administration & Urban Development Minister P Narayana and top officials from the government confirmed the green light from the Centre. A senior official told Bizz Buzz that consistent efforts made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Nadu during his visits to Delhi have finally yielded positive response.

The project cost is estimated at Rs11,400 crore, with the Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (APMRCL). Tenders have already been invited for the Phase-1 of the project worth Rs6,250 crore after the State submitted revised Detailed Project Report and submitted it to the Government of India for consideration.

With the approval of the report prepared by RITES, by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the prestigious project, the first in Andhra Pradesh, is expected to take off soon. The approval is considered a major milestone as it will augment urban mobility, end connectivity woes and support the city's rapid economic prosperity with its emergence as a data centre and technology hub.

Visakha Economic Region (VER) is now under initial stage of implementation with an estimated $49 billion to $52 billion economy with per capita GDP averaging above the national average and projected to jump to $120 billion to $135 billion by FY32.

The project will have four main corridors stretching over 79.91 km. The uncertainty surrounding the Phase-I has come to an end with the Centre clearing the project, which will be a big relief for commuters going to Bhogapuram Airport from various parts of the city. Double-Decker design is the highlight of the project.

It is designed with a two-tier elevated system sharing the same pillars—the metro rail on the bottom tier and a National Highway road on the upper tier. APMRCL is keen on prioritising the 20 km stretch in the Phase-I.

The corridors include Vizag Steel Plant Junction (Kurmannapalem to Kommadi (34.23 km), Kommadi to Bhogapuram Airport (30.48 km), Thatichetlapalem to Chinna Waltair (RK Beach) (6.91 km) and Gurudwara Junction (on highway near Seethammadhara) to Old Post Office (5.28 km).

The Phase 1 project has been identified as top priority on a 20 km section to establish primary connectivity quickly.

Double-Decker design is first of its kind as it will have portions of the elevated track featuring a two-tier structure, sharing support pillars with an upper National Highway roadway and a lower metro line.

The doubts expressed by the Centre on the Double Decker were clarified by the State officials with technical explanations.