Hyderabad: The much-awaited Cherlapally railway terminal, the fourth major passenger terminal in the twin cities, is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March, according to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy. The terminal, which is being developed with modern facilities and technology on par with airports, will ease the congestion at the existing railway stations of Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Kacheguda, which are saturated due to huge inflow and outflow of traffic.
The terminal, which is expected to be the largest of its kind in Telangana, is currently in an advanced stage with works likely to be finished by January. The station has been upgraded with a cost of over Rs 220 crore and will have new high level platforms, over head water tank with 8 lakh litres capacity, new station building, improvement in circulating area, provision of approach road, installation of electrical substation, maintenance shed, two FOBs, 5 escalators, 9 lifts, bio toilets and an automatic coach washing plant.
The terminal will also have a segregation of arrivals and departures, food courts, passengers lounges, disabled and environment friendly features, station buildings on both sides of the tracks, multi-modal integration with Secunderabad east and west metro station as well as bus station with skywalks, 26 lifts, 32 escalators, two travelators, multi-level parking, foot over bridges, etc. The modernised edifice is expected to be ready by November 2025.
The terminal’s proximity to ORR and upcoming Regional Ring Road (RRR) will certainly help passengers on all fronts. Passengers from LB Nagar, ECIL, Kushaiguda and Karimnagar among other areas can directly board a train at Cherlapally without entering the main city.
The Minister also stated that the MMTS Phase-II suburban railway services will be completed in all aspects in the next few days with the last remaining section between Sanathnagar and Moula Ali to be ready soon by the month end. He also said that the extension of MMTS line from Ghatkesar and Yadadri will also be taken up with survey works underway and tenders will be called.
“Cherlapally railway station will become the new alternative coaching terminal for the twin cities. The new terminal is being developed with modern facilities and technology on par with airports,” said SCR General Manager Arun Kumar Jain. He added that the station would not only reduce burden at Secunderabad, Nampally and Kacheguda stations but also meet the growing requirements of the city’s population.
