The Vijayawada Metro project is likely to cost the new Government of Andhra Pradesh Rs 6,823 crore. E Sreedharan, who built the Delhi Metro, has submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here on Sunday.

The Metro would have two corridors of Pandit Nehru Bus Terminal to Penamaluru covering a stretch of 12.76 km and the 13.27-km Pandit Nehru Bus Terminal to Nidamanuru stretch. While the first Corridor will be linked to the capital city of Amaravathi, second Corridor will be connected to the Gannavaram airport.

The cost per kilometre is put at Rs 209 for the total stretch of 26 km in the two corridors. If the government wants to make it an elevated railway line, the cost would go up to Rs 500-600 crore.

The DMRC team put the demand for traffic at 2.91 lakh trips in 2019-2020. This could grow to 10 lakh trips by 2051-52. The team expects the works on the first phase to begin by June.

Sreedharan, who is the Principal Advisor to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, has studied the feasibility of the project and the likely routes, connecting various places in Vijayawada and surrounding towns. Vijayawada is quite close to the proposed new capital of the State and is expected to take significant burden of the needs of the capital.

“Whether it is going to be elevated or not will only be decided during the capital development stage,” Sreedharan said.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the phase-I of the project would be commissioned by January 1, 2019.

Ticket price

The DPR projected a ticket price of Rs 10 for distances under 5 km and Rs 20 for distances between 5 and 10 km. For destinations beyond that could cost Rs 30.

The project would require 31 hectares of land. The Metro Rail Depot would require a chunk of 11.34 hectares.

Sreedharan suggested that all the government lands across the route might be reserved for property development that, in turn, could be utilised to fund the project.

Meanwhile, the team would prepare the DPR for Visakhapatnam Metro project by June 2015.