Hyderabad: The Union minister for Tourism and Culture and Secunderabad MP G Kishan Reddy declared on Wednesday that the Outer Ring Rail (ORR) project will begin shortly in Telangana.
Kishan Reddy stated that the project is the first of its kind in the country and the centre has chosen Telangana for it.
“The Railways has already begun the project exercise. The intended Outer Ring Rail development will begin concurrently with the recently completed Regional Ring Road (RRR), which would span 350 km and connect numerous districts in Telangana. The Centre has approved Rs 14 crore for the ORR (railway) project survey,” he said.
“If the Outer Ring Rail project is made available in concurrence with the RRR, the people of Hyderabad and surrounding districts will benefit greatly. As part of this project, junctions will be established in those areas by connecting them with railway lines from Vijayawada, Guntur, Nizamabad, Medak, Mumbai, and Vikarabad,” Kishan Reddy explained.
He further stated that persons utilising these routes would be able to get off at the outer ring road without entering Hyderabad and travel to their respective destinations by road or rail.
He asserted that the Outer Ring Rail project will assist both the economic and transportation sectors.
Kishan Reddy said that the projected Outer Ring Rail project would be implemented at a cost of Rs 26,000 crore. He stated that the specifics of this project had already been discussed with the state government, and that about 99 percent of the route map preparations had been finished.
The Union minister stated that the Centre will bear 50% of the cost of land acquisition for this project and that the state government has set up Rs 500 crore for land acquisition.
Regarding the MMTS phase 2 expansion, Kishan Reddy said that the railway board has agreed to proceed with the expansion between Ghatkesar and Rayagiri. He said that even after eight years, the state government had not sanctioned budget for the project.
“Despite the state government’s reluctance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the Railways minister Ashwin Vaishnaw to expedite the MMTS second phase expansion at a cost of Rs 330 crore. Only railway funds will be used to complete the expansion,” the Union minister stated.
