A new 40-km Metro Rail line will soon connect the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) to the upcoming 'Fourth City' in Mucherla, as part of the Hyderabad Metro's Phase 2 expansion. The revised alignment will now pass through Aramghar and the future High Court campus on NH-44, providing improved connectivity to the airport. The original plan for the airport metro had it routed through the airport approach road from Mailardevpally to Lakshmiguda, Jalapalli, and Mamidipally. However, the alignment was modified due to increased activity along the Bengaluru highway, where around 5,000 flats are under construction, explained NVS Reddy, Managing Director of Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML). The newly proposed Phase 2 project will extend the city's metro network by adding six corridors covering a total of 116.2 km with 54 new stations, at an estimated cost of Rs 322.37 billion. The dedicated 40-km airport line is expected to cost Rs 80 billion and handle the highest passenger traffic, alongside other critical routes such as Patancheru and Kokapet Neopolis. The six new metro corridors include: 1. 36.6-km Airport Corridor: From Nagole to RGIA. 2. 11.6-km Raidurg to Kokapet Neopolis Line. 3. 7.5-km Old City Line: From MGBS to Chandrayangutta. 4. 13.4-km Miyapur to Patancheru Line. 5. 7.1-km LB Nagar to Hayathnagar Line. The Old City metro segment will require the widening of roads and acquisition of about 1,100 properties. This 7.5-km stretch will pass through Darulshifa, Shalibanda, and Falaknuma, involving the construction of elevated and underground stations. As part of the airport metro, the project will also include India’s longest 'at-grade' road-level metro rail stretch, an 18-km section between the Raviryal exit on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and the proposed Skill University. The final Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be submitted to the Telangana government by the end of October. For the 'Fourth City' line, the route from RGIA will head towards Pedda Golconda, connecting the 'Fourth City' along the ORR through Tukkuguda and Raviryal. The metro will run between the ORR and its service roads at ground level until it reaches Future City. Of the total 40-km stretch, 2 km will be underground within the airport area, 20 km elevated, and the rest will be designed at road level along the new greenfield 300-feet road. (ET)