100-acre land acquisition cleared for Visakhapatnam Metro Phase 1

The much-anticipated Visakhapatnam Metro Rail project is picking up speed as the Andhra Pradesh government has approved the acquisition of nearly 100 acres of land for its first phase. The project, spanning 46.23 km with 42 planned stations, is set to revolutionize public transportation in Visakhapatnam and position the city as a hub for modern transit systems.

The land breakdown reveals that 99.8 acres are earmarked for the metro’s development, of which almost nine acres are privately owned. The remaining land will come from various central and state government institutions. Specifically, 47 acres belong to the state government, 36 acres to the Visakhapatnam Port Trust, four acres to the railways, and three acres to central government departments.

Visakhapatnam district officials have formed a special committee to oversee the land acquisition process for the metro rail project, which is projected to cost around ₹882 crore. Although the majority of stations will be built on government land, certain densely populated areas within the city corridors may require privately owned land due to the limited availability of public land.

The estimated cost of the project’s first phase stands at ₹11,498 crore, encompassing land acquisition, infrastructure development, and metro system construction. Phase 1 will cover three key corridors:

• Vizag Steel Plant Junction to Kommadi (34.4 km)
• Gurudwara to Old Post Office (5.08 km)
• Thatichetlapalem to Chinna Waltair (6.75 km)

The corridor between Vizag Steel Plant Junction and Kommadi will run along the national highway in a double-decker model, minimizing the need for private land.

Phase 2 will extend the metro with a fourth corridor from Kommadi to Bhogapuram. However, this phase will commence only after the Bhogapuram airport becomes operational.

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