The metro rail project will have an overhead 25 KV power line across the 72-km viaduct being constructed in the three corridors. Initially, the authorities thought of having the power line between the tracks as is prevalent in Europe which also provides an aesthetic look.
But after consulting experts and studying the power systems of some existing metro lines, it was decided to go in for an overhead line, said Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy. “We will be striving to come up with a better design to compensate for the overhead traction line,” he said.
Tie-up with Transco
HMR has tied up with APTransco for uninterrupted power supply to the railway traction and also for the stations and depots. About 75 MW of power will be required a day for the project. Transco will be supplying 130 KV power, which will be scaled to 25 KV for the traction. It will 35 KV for the other auxiliary services at the depots/stations.
Four key substations are coming up for the project at Uppal, Miyapur, Yousufguda and Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) Imliban. Construction at the five-acre Uppal site inside the depot is in an advanced stage of completion, while work on the Miyapur substation is set to begin on another five-acre site. These two are the main power receiving stations.
Free land to Transco
It is the same case with the Yousufguda substation where construction is expected to begin soon. Land at MGBS is yet to be delineated and these substations will be on one-acre sites each. Land has been given free to Transco for constructing these facilities with built in redundancies and extra cabling.
“The power supply system is being designed in such a manner that power can be drawn seamlessly from across any of the three corridors in case of a problem or failure on a particular stretch or corridor,” explained Mr. Reddy.
