Hyderabad Metro turns 5; air passengers can check in at Airport station
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) completed five years of operation with the first service of the Metro train starting from Miyapur on November 29, 2017. Currently, more than four lakh commuters avail the Metro services each day.
The HMRL held celebrations at the Ameerpet Metro Station to mark five years of its services being successfully completed.
Colourful folk dancers adorned the otherwise busy Ameerpet station, forcing commuters to pause and shake a leg. The KK Sisters' Oggu Katha, a Telangana dance style, was accompanied by a ‘jugalbandi’ of sitar, sarod, and tabla.
The performances, organised by Hyderabad Metro Rail's trademark programme, "Metro Medley," which promotes art and culture, in partnership with Tatvaa Arts, kept passengers entertained as they waited, and some even stayed back for a while to take part in the festivities.
Along with HMRL managing director N.V.S. Reddy, other dignitaries who attended the celebrations were K.V.B. Reddy, MD and chief executive officer of L&TMRHL, representatives from the companies, Keolis, PhonePe, and other organisations.
For being among the most frequent travellers, PhonePe awarded 15 commuters with gift certificates worth Rs 10,000, and another 10 commuters received gift vouchers as part of their customer loyalty programme.
On the occasion, N.V.S. Reddy announced that the Metro station at Shamshabad will directly link the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
According to the HMRL MD, the Airport Metro project would be completed in three years, and travellers from Mindspace Junction to the airport wouldn't have to worry about their luggage because there would be a direct connection from the proposed underground Metro station to each of their respective boarding gates.
"The phase-II will comprise underground stations. There is already a metro corridor at ORR and phase II works will be completed in the next three years.
The upcoming Airport Express Metro will not be an extension of the existing Blue Line but an entirely new, specialised corridor that would allow air passengers to check in and part with their baggage at the Metro station itself," he added.
