Hyderabad Metro to add 10 new train sets soon
HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Metro is set to get additional rolling stock, with plans underway to procure 10 new train sets comprising 60 coaches to ease rising commuter demand.
Government approval awaited for tenders
Hyderabad Metro Rail officials have submitted proposals to the state government for approval. Tenders will be floated immediately after clearance, officials said.
Six-coach operations planned on all corridors
At present, Metro services run with three-coach trains. The new procurement will enable six-coach operations, which the system’s platforms were designed to accommodate from the outset.
Shortlisted for the upgrade are the LB Nagar–Miyapur, Jubilee Bus Station–Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, and Nagole–Raidurg corridors. Together, these lines operate about 1,200 trips daily, serving 4.60–4.80 lakh passengers. On holidays and festival days, ridership crosses 5 lakh.
Four-year wait for additional coaches
The move follows a prolonged delay. Four years ago, operators had announced plans to add coaches to manage peak-hour congestion. In November 2024, the managing director had said that four to seven new three-coach trains would be inducted within a year, or at least 40–70 coaches would be added. The plans did not materialise, leading to severe crowding during peak hours—between 8 am and 11 am, and 5 pm to 9.30 pm—when boarding often becomes difficult.
Meanwhile, the state government is fast-tracking the process to take over Metro operations from the current concessionaire. As part of this, it is exploring ways to refinance the operator’s equity of ₹2,000 crore and outstanding loans of about ₹13,000 crore at lower interest rates, including with support from the Centre and the World Bank.
Talks with manufacturers underway
Currently, 57 Metro trains with 171 coaches operate across the three corridors. Officials have begun discussions with manufacturers such as Bharat Earth Movers Limited and Integral Coach Factory for the supply of new six-coach train sets.
Each six-coach set is estimated to cost ₹65–70 crore. The total outlay for 10 new trains is expected to be ₹650–700 crore, officials said.
