Simhachalam BRTS Metro Rail Corporation Ltd is set to update Visakhapatnam's comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) following a request from the Union government. This update is seen as critical for advancing the proposed metro rail project, as the original CMP, developed in 2018, has a validity of five years. Given the changes in traffic volumes, mobility demands, and infrastructure needs, a revised plan is essential not only for the metro rail project but also for other public transportation improvements, including bus routes, metro feeder services, road network expansions, and new route alignments.

The update’s primary aim is to increase the share of public transport usage from 40% to between 50% and 55%. To support this goal, the plan will address missing links in the road network to distribute traffic more evenly across major routes. Key areas include the Simhachalam BRTS corridor connected to NH-16, as well as routes through NAD, Lankelapalem, Sontyam-Anandapuram, Peda Narava, Gangavaram-Tallapalem, and the Gajuwaka bypass. Past studies identified NAD junction as the highest traffic point, with 3.57 lakh passenger car units daily, while peak hours at major intersections such as Birla Junction and YSR Stadium account for around 10% of daily traffic.

A metro rail corporation source confirmed that the CMP update would proceed as requested by the Union government. The source noted that with the updated CMP’s five-year validity, it would facilitate smooth planning and execution of the metro rail project.

In the previous CMP, service level benchmarks were categorised across four levels (LoS 1-4), with LoS 1 indicating the best service. Visakhapatnam's public transport, primarily managed by APSRTC, achieves 100% organised coverage, though with a low availability rate of 0.29 per 1,000 residents, resulting in an LoS of 2. Average waiting times for buses, ranging from 5 to 10 minutes, are graded as LoS 3, while overall public transport coverage over 250 km of the 643 sq km city area also reflects LoS 3.

Pedestrian infrastructure is graded at LoS 2, with only 23% of the surveyed network featuring paved footpaths, and many intersections falling short on pedestrian wait-time standards. Non-motorised transport facilities score poorly, with an LoS of 4, while intelligent transport system utilisation remains low, marked by limited traffic surveillance (8.84%, LoS 4) and unsynchronised signals. Average travel speeds are 28 km/h for personal vehicles and 18 km/h for public transport, both yielding an LoS of 2.