Visakhapatnam’s 46.23-kilometre Metro phase one will hinge on two purpose-built depots—one beside the Old Dairy Farm near VIMS, the other close to the Visakhapatnam Port Authority—each demanding 35–40 acres to house inspection lines, workshops, wash plants, stabling tracks and operating offices. Together the depots and ancillary works require almost 100 acres, for which land acquisition alone is projected to cost about Rs 8.9 billion.

A social-impact assessment launched on 30 May 2025 under the RFCTLARR Act is gauging public benefit, alternative sites and food-security effects before the district collector issues a final report. Current plans call for the alienation of roughly nine acres of private plots and 87 acres of public holdings—comprising 36 acres from the port trust, four acres from Indian Railways, 47 acres from the Animal Husbandry Department at Old Dairy Farm and a small strip of D-patta housing land.

AP Metro Rail Corporation managing director N. P. Ramakrishna Reddy confirmed that depot design work is ready to proceed once the collector signs off on the SIA findings. The depots will act as central hubs for shunting, maintenance and administration, ensuring the future network operates safely and efficiently from day one.