METRO FARES IN PHASE II TO PINCH POCKETS
The fares of the Hyderabad Metro Rail’s second phase will be much more expensive when compared to the first phase.
The second phase is mainly intended to provide rail connectivity to the Shamshabad Airport. According to the preliminary report submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation about the fare structure and financial viability of the airport express metro line, the second phase will have a minimum fare of `40 and maximum fare of `130.
The fares of the Hyderabad Metro Rail’s second phase will be much more expensive when compared to the first phase. For the first phase of the Hyderabad Metro Rail, the minimum fare is `10 and maximum fare is `60.
Phase II of the Hyderabad metro project runs from the Hyderabad Airport to Raidurg, with an extension to the Biodiversity Park. This phase is proposed to be constructed at an estimated cost of `3,619 crores, including land expenses and taxes. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), in its report, said that the proposed fare structure has been calculated by using a rate of 14 percent once every two years, considering the increase in the Consumer Price Index and input costs of operation. The proposed fare structure is `40 for 0-5 km, `70 for 5-10 km, `100 for 10-20 km and `130 for above 20 km. While phase I has 10 slabs in the tariff structure, phase II will only have 4 slabs. The DMRC stated that for the purpose of calculating the Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR), the completion cost including all taxes has been calculated by taking an escalation factor at the rate of 5 percent per annum. The DMRC said that the impact of GST has not been considered in the FIRR calculation.
The DMRC added that nonfare box revenues from property businesses and advertisements have been assumed at the rate of 10 percent of the fare box revenues during the first five years of operation and 20 percent thereafter during operations. Apart from the development of property at metro stations and depots, it is possible to raise revenue through the leasing of property rights at stations, advertisements on various surfaces within the premises of the station, such as, trains, tickets, parking lots, viaducts, columns and other metro structures, co-sending rights to corporates, naming rights, film shootings and special events on metro premises, the report said. The DMRC said that the fare collection is the product of projected ridership per day and the applicable fare structure is based on trip distribution at different zones.
TRS government has become a puppet in the hands of MIM — N.V.S.S. Prabhakar, BJP MLA Phase II of the Hyderabad metro project runs from the Hyderabad Airport to Raidurg, with an extension to the Biodiversity Park. The proposed fare structure is `40 for 0-5 km, `70 for 5-10 km, `100 for 10-20 km and `130 for above 20 km. While phase I has 10 slabs in the tariff structure, phase II will only 4.