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Telangana Executes Rs 1,461 Crore Buyout of 69km Hyderabad Metro ...
Hyderabad Metro Phase-1 acquisition has placed the city’s Phase I metro project fully under the Government of Telangana. It is held through Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited. The Rs. 1,461.47 crore transaction gives the state 100% equity in L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply. Photo: HMRL. State Government Secures 100% Ownership of Hyderabad Metro in Massive Rs 1,461 Crore Deal The deal moves the metro system from a Public-Private Partnership structure to direct government control. The Share Purchase Agreement was signed for that ownership transfer. It also supports unified institutional oversight for the metro network. The transition is expected to support financial stability and improve coordination. It is also expected to help shape a more commuter-focused urban transit system in Hyderabad. Hyderabad Metro Phase-1 acquisition and ownership shift The agreement was formalized in the presence of senior officials. They included Chief Secretary Mr. K. Ramakrishna Rao, Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, and HMRL Managing Director Mr. Sarfaraz Ahmad. As The New Indian Express reported, it was executed by Mr. Sarfaraz Ahmad on behalf of HMRL, Mr. D. K. Sen for L&T, and Mr. K. V. B. Reddy. Their involvement reflected the strategic nature of the ownership transfer. A major part of the transaction involves refinancing existing debt of Rs. 13,538.53 crore. The Telangana government guarantee is expected to provide financial continuity. It is also expected to support the project’s long-term stability. IDBI Capital acted as the financial advisor for the transaction. Separately, Saraf & Partners served as the legal advisor. Hyderabad Metro has operated as one of the world’s largest metro PPP projects. Since its launch in 2017, it has become an important part of urban mobility in the city. The network covers 69 km across three main corridors. It carries around 4.5 lakh passengers daily. In addition, it has recorded nearly 86 crore journeys. The system has contributed to better connectivity, shorter travel times, and economic growth across Hyderabad. PPP to government control The move to full government ownership is expected to make future planning and expansion easier. With the state now in complete control, integration with upcoming metro phases can be handled through a more centralized structure. This keeps ownership, financial control and future network expansion within the same government-led transition. Also, the tran...
Thrown Under the Bus: A Case Study of Premiumisation and Exclusion in ...
The Chalo bus was recently introduced in partnership with Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking. It promises comfortable and fast travel, with digital-only ticketing options, at premium prices. As the beleaguered BEST struggles to maintain its ordinary services and increasingly heads towards privatisation, commuters find themselves excluded on the basis of income, location and digital access, all of which are linked to class. The paper explores exclusions in terms of these dimensions, and finds that the process of premiumisation is taking place at the cost of the ordinary commuter. It finds that for every 1 per cent increase in passengers’ income, there is a 4.9 times higher probability that they would choose the Chalo bus. On the other hand, ordinary passengers, with lower incomes and less penetration of the Chalo app, are left in the lurch. Providing premium transport options for white-collar staff may enhance the “ease of doing business” for international investors in Mumbai’s financial and digital sector, but the city’s working class commuters suffer. The study also discusses the role of a public transporter and what makes it public in character. Buses and railways are central to people’s mobility in the megapolis of Mumbai, transporting millions of passengers every day. However, underinvestment in these modes by the authorities leads to a plethora of problems, which are borne by commuters and transport workers. BEST’s buses carry more passengers daily than all metro lines in the city combined. Yet policy-makers focus on what they call the losses of BEST, rather than prioritise its public funding and thereby alleviate the problems of passengers and workers. Rather than invest in the mobility of many, Mumbai’s authorities have chosen to invest in the mobility of a few. One form of this bias is the recently introduced Chalo bus service. This paper examines premiumisation of BEST buses at the cost of the ordinary bus passenger, excluded by income and space. Chalo bus began its operations in Mumbai in 2022, with routes focusing on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). As of June, 2024, Chalo operates a total of 144 premium buses. Of 31 routes run between June 2023 and November 2024, 10 start or terminate at BKC, 6 each at Andheri and Navi Mumbai, 7 at Thane (including one each going via Lodha and Hiranandani estates), and 4 each at the city airport and in South Mumbai. In ...
Manila Bulletin - 'Wala namang ganyanan': Six bus operators in trouble ...
Six more bus operators will have a lot of explaining to do after their conductors apparently did not honor the agreement to give discounts to all their...
Daily Traffic Gridlock Drains PHP 3.5 Billion From Metro Manila Economy
The expansion of the metro rail transit system and improvements to bus rapid transit routes represent attempts to provide alternatives to private vehicle use. Traffic management technologies, including synchronized signal systems and real-time traffic monitoring, have been deployed across major thoroughfares.
