AMARAVATHI: The Andhra Pradesh government is ready to proceed with the Visakhapatnam metro rail project as soon as it receives approval from the Central government, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister P Narayana stated during the Question Hour in the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Narayana also mentioned that the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Visakhapatnam is already prepared, with feasibility reports for the metro rail projects in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
A proposed 42.5 km metro network with three corridors for Visakhapatnam had already been outlined, and tenders for the project were invited in April 2019. However, the Minister highlighted that if the YSR Congress Party (YSRC) government had finalized the tenders after taking office, the project would have been completed by now. The project faced delays, particularly after the decision to extend the metro line to Bhogapuram, with the task of preparing a new detailed project report (DPR) assigned to Gurgaon-based VMTC in March 2020. In 2021, a revised plan for a 76.9 km metro with four corridors was proposed but no decisions were taken until December 2023.
Narayana also mentioned that following the formation of the NDA government in the state, a proposal was sent to the Centre to transfer the metro project to Indian Railways, similar to the Kolkata Metro model, with the Centre covering the entire cost under the Metro Rail Policy 2017. The proposed cost of the Visakhapatnam metro project has been pegged at ₹17,232 crore (at 2024 prices), with 46.23 km planned for phase one and 30.67 km for phase two.
The metro project includes four proposed corridors:
- Steel Plant Junction to Kommadi (34.40 km)
- Gurudwara Junction to RTC Complex and Old Post Office (5.10 km)
- Tadichetlapalem to Vizag Railway Station and Chinna Waltair (6.7 km)
- Kommadi to Bhogapuram Airport (30.67 km)
The CMP, which is available with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), was based on a detailed traffic and transportation study conducted in 2020 while preparing the DPR for the metro rail project.
