Though in his budget speech, state Governor Justice S. Abdul Nazeer had stated that the Metro Rail in Visakhapatnam would be completed by 2029, the slow progress in initial works indicating it is likely to be delayed further. Narendra Modi-led central government said to be not moving fast on this project.
With the construction work of the Bhogapuram International Airport likely to be completed by June 2026, the state government recently discussed the situation of passengers traveling to and from the airport from Visakhapatnam city. However, the decision made by the state government to appoint a consultant has not been implemented so far.
The Airport promoter GMR said to be worried what if the airport work is completed and the Metro Rail issue does not come to fruition? With this, even though the government has organized a pre-bidding meeting, it does not seem that any consultants are coming forward.
The Visakhapatnam Metro Detailed Project Report (DPR) was sent to the central government once during the Chandrababu Naidu regime between 2014-2019 and again during the Jaganmohan Reddy’s regime between 2019-2024. In both the above cases, the BJP, despite being in power in the center, did not express its willingness towards the DPR.
Speaking at a recent Metro review meeting, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said, “This is an emergency situation. An airport is being prepared on the other side. There is a great need to make the Metro rail available.” He revealed that the work on the Bhogapuram Airport, located 45 km from Visakhapatnam, is progressing at a rapid pace and the first phase of the project is about to be completed at a cost of Rs. 4,500 crore.
The Union Minister said that the consultant for AP Metro Rail Corporation Limited (APMRCL) will be finalized on June 9 and that this consultant is required to plan, tender and monitor the project. It is reported that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu recently requested the Center to provide 100 percent funds at a time when the state’s financial situation is critical.
According to the revised DPR, the metro rail will have a network of only 46.23 km. It will run from Kurmannapalem to Bhogapuram Airport. It is estimated that it will cost Rs. 11498 crore. AP Metro Rail Corporation CMD UJM. Rao said that the most important issue in this project is land acquisition.
While funds of Rs. 800 crore are urgently required, these funds will be available only after the appointment of a consultant. In this context, if work begins, it will take at least six years to complete the metro rail, raising doubts as to whether it will be completed by 2030.