With Corridor 2—the 11-km Green Line stretch from JBS Parade Ground (JBS) to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS)—of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project becoming operational, it becomes the second largest operational metro network in the country covering 69.2 km (Corridor 1 from Miyapur to LB Nagar: 29.2 km; Corridor 2 from JBS to MGBS: 11 km; Corridor 3 from Nagole to Raidurgam: 29 km). With a total project cost of about Rs 200 billion, the world's largest PPP, the Hyderabad Metro Rail, is already playing a key role in the growth and development of the city. Salient features Covering a length of 11 km, the Green Line of Corridor 2 connects the twin cities, Secunderabad and Hyderabad, from JBS to MGBS on the Musi River. There are a total of nine stations in this line. With the opening of the Green Line, travel time is reduced to 16 minutes from one end to the other, compared to 45 minutes via road. The stations JBS and MGBS are interchange stations, with JBS near the second largest bus terminus in the city. JBS Station is one of the tallest in the project with five levels: street, lower concourse, upper concourse, lower platform and upper platform. The station has been designed as a portal frame-type RCC structure with columns on either side of the road and another in the central median. Entry and exit structures have been provided to facilitate easy approach to the passengers coming from JBS. One entry-exit connects to the Corridor 3 Parade Grounds Station (interchange) through a skywalk. The Secunderabad West and Gandhi Hospital stations have four entry-exits from all directions with lifts and escalators, apart from staircases. The star station Spread over 3 lakh sq ft, Hyderabad’s Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station Interchange metro station is one of the country’s largest, with several outstanding features. Uniquely built, it houses the interchange of two corridors (Corridor 2 – JBS to MGBS at the higher level and Corridor 1 – Miyapur to LB Nagar at the lower level). “There are three levels with each level again split into two, as one corridor passes over the other; in this passenger-friendly station, passengers can easily and smoothly transit from one corridor to the other,” says KVB Reddy, Managing Director & CEO, L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail. The station has been entirely conceptualised and executed in-house by the L&TMRHL team. It is 142-m long and 60-m wide and designed spaciously to accommodate retail outlets, entertainment zones and convenience outlets at the concourse level. The concourse level can be used to cross over from one end of the Musi watercourse to the other by pedestrians for convenient movement. The platform level of Corridor 2 is at a height of 23 m and the roof at 33 m. The roof is designed with tetrahedron-supported columns to resemble a modern airport that is placed at the edge, for unobstructed view and enhanced aesthetics. The intermediate floors between the slabs accommodate the technical services. The station has two entry-exits and wide skywalks from both sides of the waterfront for passenger convenience. An additional entry-exit is at the foot of the existing bus facility for alighting passengers arriving from the station along with four escalators and two lifts. The main area of the station is magnificently adorned with jaguar brown granite flooring. The integrated station has four lifts, 12 escalators and sufficient staircases. Further, a service connection can switch the movement of trains from Corridors 1 and 2. Passenger facilities All the stations are eco-friendly with natural light and ventilation and specially designed tactile paths for the blind and wheelchairs. First-aid facilities are readily available. All facilities at the stations are seamlessly integrated. “Several of our initiatives are aimed to improve ride experience, like providing free water, free toilets, exclusive ladies section, cross-sell offers, complimentary newspapers, etc,” adds Reddy. “We have also introduced various last-mile connectivity options like electric vehicles, rent-a-bicycle services, cab aggregator and bus services at metro stations.” Overcoming challenges Evidently, a project of this nature and scale is likely to experience several challenges. Reddy highlights them below: Preconstruction: Underground utilities with no readily available drawings led to many surprises; involvement of too many government agencies and lengthy procedures; clash of interest between various departments Dealing with Railways/Defence: Long-drawn processes for approvals; support from the Telangana government, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Defence Land: Responsibility of procuring right of way (ROW) and land resting with the government resulted in delays; private acquisition difficult with lengthy procedures; risk for concessionaire if construction commences before availability of complete land parcels and unhindered availability of ROW; lack of continuous ROW in a linear project like a metro Alignment finalisation: Limitation on sharp curve