HYD: MMTS Phase II works speeds up

Finally, the MMTS trains will soon chug along the Tellapur-Patancheru and Secunderabad-Bolaram stretches with the South Central Railway (SCR) completing the much-awaited Phase II works with a cost of Rs 62 crore.SCR officials said restoration of tracks and electrification on the 5.5 km stretch between Tellapur and Patancheru (up to Ramachandrapuram) and electrification and modeling of the station on the 14 km-Secunderabad-Bolaram stretch were completed. 

Phase II of the MMTS will cover over 90 km, and the new stretches include Moulali-Ghatkesar, Falaknuma-Umdanagar-Shamshabad, Secunderabad-Bolaram, Bolaram-Medchal, Sanathnagar-Moulali, Moulali-Malkajgiri-Sitaphalmandi and Tellapur-Ramachandrapuram.

The initial estimated cost for Phase II of the MMTS service was Rs 641 crore but was later revised to Rs 817 crore. It was also decided to set up five stations at Ferozeguda, Suchitra Centre, Bhudevi Nagar, Neredmet and Moulali HB Colony on the Moulali-Sanathnagar route.

According to SCR officials, the Tellapur – Ramachandrapuram section near Lingampally and the Secunderabad-Bolaram section were already completed while Bolaram-Mechal was nearly completed and these stretches would shortly have MMTS services.

Among the seven stretches under Phase II, works are progressing at a brisk pace on the Sanathnagar-Moulali (22.4 km), Moulali-Ghatkesar (12.2 km) and Moulali-Malakjgiri-Sitafalmandi (10 km) routes.

The Secunderabad-Bolaram section will have 10 stations that are being constructed with a cost of Rs 12 crore. The works in this section includes raising of platform height, booking offices and toilets, while tenders were being floated for providing a new Foot Over Bridge connecting platforms two and three at Bolaram.

On the other hand, with more number of passengers opting for suburban rail, plans are afoot to augment Phase-I services between Hyderabad-Secunderabad-Falaknuma-Lingampally with 12 coaches instead of the existing nine coaches on all trains.

The Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU) car shed at Moulali is also being expanded at a cost of Rs 6 crore.