Centre floats RRTS alternative for Hyderabad Metro Phase II amid L&TMRH takeover

Just as the Telangana government was preparing to sign an agreement with Larsen & Toubro to take over L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) and operate the first phase of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) as a government entity, the Centre has thrown a curveball by proposing an alternative model for Phase II through the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) at a significantly lower cost, top sources said on Wednesday.

The RRTS – being a high-speed rail system – would be more suitable for the proposed HMR Phase II (76.4 km) and Phase 2B (86.1 km) corridors. If adopted, the model would eliminate the need for the State government to acquire L&T’s stake, allowing L&T to continue operating the existing 69.2 km Phase I network across three corridors in its current form, according to the proposal.