Regional metro rail office inaugurated in Visakhapatnam

Minister of Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Botcha Satyanarayana, on Sunday, inaugurated the regional office of Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (APMRC) at the LIC Building in Visakhapatnam. The newly launched office is expected to speed up the development of the much-awaited metro rail project in Visakhapatnam.

The light metro rail corridors have been proposed to be laid over 79.91 km while the modern tram corridors have been proposed to be laid over 60 km in the VMRDA area, making up for a total proposed distance of about 140 km. While a master plan for both the proposals has been developed, Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC) consultants have been appointed for the preparation of two separate Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for Light Metro and Modern Tram, a press note stated. The DPR for the Light Metro will be submitted by the second week of November and the DPR for the Modern Tram will be submitted by the second week of December, the note added.

After a detailed traffic study, the consultants recommended 4 metro corridors, over 75.31 km, with 52 stations:

• Corridor 1: Steel Plant to Kommadi Junction-34.23 km-52 stations
• Corridor 2: Gurudwara to Old Post Office-5.26 km-6 stations
• Corridor 3: Tadichetlapalem to Chinna Waltair-6.91 km-9 stations
• Corridor 4: Kommadi Junction to Bhogapuram Airport-28.91 km-10 stations

Of the 75.31 km, 70.5 km will be fully elevated and 4.5 km will be at grade near Bhogapuram Airport.

The DPR for Modern Tram is under preparation for a length of 60.20 km over 3 corridors

• Corridor 1: NAD Junction to Pendurthi-10.20 km
• Corridor 2: Steel Plant Gate to Anakapalle-18.20 km
• Corridor 3: Old Post Office to Bheemili Beach via Rushikonda-31.80 km

It has been revealed that Vizag Metro Rail will have unique features. The proposed system will not have overhead electrical lines, unlike other metros across the country, and have 750 volts DC power supplied through the 3rd rail system. The metro rail in Vizag is also slated to be driverless. Six Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP) areas will be set up at Steel Plant gate, Gurudwara, Maddilapalem, BVK College, Sampath Vinayak Temple, and Gajuwaka, with each facility capable of accommodating 200 to 300 cars.