First Metro Rail up for a trial run soon

The first metro train that was rolled out from South Korea to Hyderabad would be put on tracks for test and trials in next couple of days before it is run on the first phase of the project from Nagole to Mettuguda on March 21, 2015, according to L&T Metro Rail, Hyderabad, Chief Executive & Managing Director V.B. Gadgil on Saturday night.

Addressing Tours, Travels and Hoteliers at a SKAL International event, he said the three coach train, which reached the city last month in the third week of May, would be put to trial runs on 8 km stretch atop the viaduct.

Pointing out that the project was taken with the total outlay of Rs.20,000 crore, he said, it was the largest investment of L&T had ever made in any one single city.

The Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) to be used for the rail system will help determine accurate position of a train unlike the traditional signalling systems thereby making it efficient and safe.

“It is the next generation of signalling technology being adopted in subways and other new modes of transportation,” he explained.

To ensure further safety, an empty train will be run every morning on the entire stretch to check if all the lines are intact and safe for the travel of the passengers.

The trains will also be generating 30 per cent of the power using the regenerative electric braking where the momentum is converted into electrical energy and feeding back to power supply system, while braking. It will also help reduce energy requirement from the grid, said Mr. Gadgil. When it is completed in five years span, it will register a record for the shortest construction period for 72 km stretch in just five years.

The 66 overhead stations coming up will have senior citizens and disabled friendly facilities with escalators, elevators and stairways.

Each station is designed to accommodate two train passengers i.e, 1,800 passengers at any given point of time. The three coach trains can take in a maximum of three hundred passengers and gradually the number of coaches can be increased to six during peak hours to help carry double the number of commuters.

Effectively, it means 60,000 riders can be moved in a single direction every hour, with a train every two seconds.

No impact of bifurcation

Though completely automated, there will be a ‘driver’ to ensure opening or closing of doors since the trains will not move even if there is a gap of even an inch. He will also be having an emergency button to be operated if necessary. The CEO saw no impact of State bifurcation on the project.

Welcoming the gathering, Mr. Vijay Mohan Raj, president of SKAL International No. 606, Hyderabad, informed that local chapter in Hyderabad completed the bidding process of bringing SKAL World Congress to be Hyderabad. Once the bid goes through in favour of Hyderabad in the World Congress to be held in October this year in Mexico, then SKAL local chapter will host the next World Congress in Hyderabad in 2016.

They are confident of getting the bid in our favour, informed Mr. Vijay Mohan Raj.

SKAL local chapter targets to make Hyderabad the Tourism Capital of India informed Vijay Mohan Raj.