Hyderabad:The much-awaited metro rail services to Hi-Tec City, the IT hub of Hyderabad, was inaugurated Wednesday with Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana E S L Narasimhan flagging off the first service.

The 10-km stretch (Ameerpet to Hi-Tec City) of Metro Rail Corridor-III was launched by the Governor at Ameerpet station.

The stretch with nine stations, including Ameerpet, would establish the crucial Metro Rail connectivity to the highly congested IT/ITES service areas of Hi-Tec City, Madhapur, Gachibowli,Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) officials said.

Regular operations will start from 4 pm Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the 30 km stretch (between Miyapur and Nagole) out of the 72 km long elevated Hyderabad Metro Rail project, in November 2017.

Another 16-km stretch between Ameerpet and L B Nagar was launched in September last year.

Among the nine stations (Ameerpet-Hi-Tec City stretch), Taruni-Madhura Nagar station is being developed as a women managed station and in due course would have shops mostly catering to their needs and that of children.

HMRL Managing Director N V S Reddy said the Jubilee Hills checkpost station was a single level one unlike other stations which are mainly on two levels.

The concourse level was avoided to reduce the already high level of the station due to gradient related problems,he said.

HMRL officials said trains would initially run on a five km stretch between Jubilee Hills Check Post and Hi-Tec City station following a traditional railway practice of 'twin single line method,'

In this method the two tracks are treated as two separate single lines and trains are operated in both 'up and down' direction on each line separately, till the 'reversal' beyond Hi-Tec City station is completed.

The officials said initially the frequency of trains between Ameerpet-Hi-Tec City will be nine to 12 minutes as against six minutes in other parts of the operational Metro corridors.

efforts are being made to add additional trains in the stretch to improve frequency and to cater to the huge rush that is expected, they said.

The concessionaire L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited is building the Hyderabad Metro Rail project across three corridors.

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