Hyderabad Metro phase 2 status: 122.9 km plan still awaits Centre's approval
Published
The Rs 38,595 crore expansion is stuck until the Centre signs off, and so is its cheap financing. No new track was laid in a year, an HMRL official said. Where approvals, loans and corridors stand.
Original report
Hyderabad Metro phase 2 status, as of the latest dated report: the expansion remains stalled while it waits for the Centre's approvals, Swarajya reported on 16 September 2026 (Swarajya, 2026). The plan covers 122.9 km at an estimated cost of Rs 38,595 crore, according to the same report (Swarajya, 2026).
Without those approvals, the state cannot secure low-cost financing, Swarajya reported. The takeover of Phase 1 is also pending (Swarajya, 2026).
Meanwhile, no new track was laid on the network in 2025-26, a Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMRL) official told Siasat on 5 August 2026 (Siasat, 2026). Here is where each piece stands.
Phase 2 would add about 123 km over seven corridors
Phase 2 would add about 123 km across seven corridors, Siasat reported (Siasat, 2026). Swarajya put the length at 122.9 km and the estimated cost at Rs 38,595 crore (Swarajya, 2026).
That is about Rs 314 crore per km, by our arithmetic on Swarajya's figures.
Today's network is Phase 1 only, at 69 km, Siasat reported (Siasat, 2026). Phase 2 would take it to about 192 km, close to three times its current length.
The plan has been on the table for a while. An earlier 122 km Phase II-A proposal dates to December 2023, Telangana Today reported (Telangana Today, 2026).
The sticking point is not the map. It is the money.
The financing depends on approvals that have not come
Telangana cannot raise low-cost loans for Phase 2 until the Centre approves it, Swarajya reported on 16 September (Swarajya, 2026).
Two routes have been tried. A Rs 13,527 crore proposal with IRFC failed. SBI Caps is now exploring a Rs 13,500 crore soft loan through GIFT City (Swarajya, 2026).
Either sum would cover about 35% of the Rs 38,595 crore estimate, by our arithmetic.
The report also lists L&T's Rs 1,462 crore equity contribution, and 60 more coaches that are still pending (Swarajya, 2026).
The delay already shows on the ground.
No new track was laid in a year
"No new tracks have been constructed in the last one year," an HMRL official told Siasat, speaking anonymously (Siasat, 2026).
The official linked the pause to the pending approvals, Siasat reported on 5 August 2026 (Siasat, 2026).
The network carries 4.5 lakh riders a day and targets 12.5 lakh a day by 2032, according to the same report (Siasat, 2026). Reaching that target means almost tripling ridership on a network that is not growing.
The state says the delay is not equal treatment.
Telangana points to Vizag and Vijayawada
The Centre has cleared metro detailed project reports (DPRs) for Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada while Hyderabad's is still pending, Telangana Today reported (Telangana Today, 2026).
Telangana alleges discrimination, the outlet reported. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been pressing the Centre for approval (Telangana Today, 2026).
That claim comes from one outlet, and we did not find a response from the Centre in the sources we read.
Three steps are on the table, none of them dated
Swarajya listed three next steps, without dates: SBI Caps to find a lender, a merger of Hyderabad Metro with the Airport Metro entity, and the Centre taking a 50% stake (Swarajya, 2026).
No date for a Union Cabinet decision appears in any of the reports we read.
What we don't know yet
- When the Union Cabinet will decide on Phase 2.
- The corridor-by-corridor list: the reports we opened do not confirm it.
- When construction could begin.
Questions people are asking
Has the Centre approved Hyderabad Metro Phase 2?
Not yet. Approvals were still pending as of Swarajya's 16 September 2026 report (Swarajya, 2026).
How long and how costly is Hyderabad Metro Phase 2?
122.9 km, at an estimated Rs 38,595 crore, Swarajya reported (Swarajya, 2026).
When will Hyderabad Metro Phase 2 construction begin?
No date is known. The reports we read give no start date (Swarajya, 2026).
Why has no new metro track been laid in Hyderabad?
An HMRL official told Siasat the network is waiting on the Centre's approvals (Siasat, 2026).
References
- Siasat (2026) Hyderabad Metro eyes 12.5L riders but laid no new track in a year. Siasat Daily. Available at: Hyderabad Metro eyes 12.5L riders but laid no new track in a year (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
- Swarajya (2026) Hyderabad Metro Phase 2 Expansion Stuck In Limbo. Swarajya. Available at: Hyderabad Metro Phase 2 Expansion Stuck In Limbo (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
- Telangana Today (2026) Hyderabad Metro expansion stalled while Centre clears Vizag, Vijayawada DPRs. Telangana Today. Available at: Hyderabad Metro expansion stalled while Centre clears Vizag, Vijayawada DPRs (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
How we did this
We compared what three outlets report about the project's approval, money and track: Swarajya on 16 September 2026, Siasat on 5 August 2026, and Telangana Today. We built the status picture from the latest dated statement, and worked out the cost per km, the network growth and the share of cost each loan would cover ourselves; the working is shown in the text. Where outlets give slightly different lengths, we give both.
This story was produced, reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication, with AI assistance where required.
Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum: 33% left, 0% center, 67% right.
Who is covering this story
- Left-leaning (1): Siasat
- Right-leaning (2): Swarajya, Telangana Today
Sources
- Hyderabad Metro Phase 2 Expansion Stuck In Limbo As Several Key Clearances And Funding Arrangements Between Centre And State Remain Pending — Swarajya (right-leaning) ·
- Hyderabad Metro expansion stalled while Centre clears Vizag, Vijayawada DPRs — Telangana Today (right-leaning) ·
- Hyderabad Metro eyes 12.5L riders but laid no new track in a year — Siasat (left-leaning) ·