Telangana directs early rollout of joint Metro-RTC travel pass

Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju has directed officials to introduce a joint travel pass covering both Hyderabad Metro Rail and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) services at the earliest. The move is aimed at making public transport more convenient for daily commuters in the city.

The directive came during a coordination meeting held at Metro Rail Bhavan in Begumpet on Saturday. Officials from Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), TGSRTC, the Electricity Department, and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board attended the discussions.

Mr. Jaju instructed the agencies to work out the necessary arrangements for issuing daily and monthly passes that would allow seamless travel across both modes of transport. Officials from L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail and TGSRTC informed the meeting that they were technically prepared to launch the integrated pass system. They noted that the rollout could begin as soon as the joint fare structure was finalised. The Chief Secretary asked the concerned agencies to finalise the fare structure without delay and implement the system immediately.

During the review, HMR managing director Sarfaraz Ahmad, additional managing director B. Ajith Reddy, and joint managing director Shivendra Pratap briefed the Chief Secretary on the progress of the first and second phases of the Hyderabad Metro project.

The meeting also reviewed the proposed Metro Rail extension in the Old City. Officials explained the ongoing tender process for appointing a general consultant for the project. Mr. Jaju stressed that work on the 7.5-km Old City Metro corridor should be expedited, with construction beginning at the earliest.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Secretary travelled by Metro from Begumpet to Paradise station along with Mr. Ahmad and Mr. Ajith Reddy. He inspected commercial establishments and parking facilities at stations and offered suggestions for their development. He also reviewed the elevated corridor works being undertaken by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority along National Highway 44.