Citizens should now brace for metro rail barricades and subsequent traffic snarls on a few more road stretches in the coming days, with the L&T Metro Rail, Hyderabad, planning to commission four more launch girders, in addition to the existing two at different construction spots.
“Three launch girders are ready. We will be pressing three more into service as we pick up the construction pace. There could be up to 28 launch girders across the three corridors where the full activity is on,” said V.B. Gadgil, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, L&T Metro Rail, Hyderabad.
Launch girders, weighing about 300 tonnes each and 34 metres in length positioned atop, help place the segments between two piers lifting them from the trailer on the ground, and later it glues and binds them together to form a viaduct on which the two-way rails will be laid.
The launch girder is first made and work simulated at the casting yard before it is dismantled and transported to the work site on low bed trailers.
It is again assembled at the construction site for manoeuvrability and safety. Launch girders will be hinged so as to tackle the curves of the alignment while placing the segments together on top.
“The alignment is a big challenge as it is like a roller-coaster ride, with 60 per cent of the total 72 km having curves. We will be soon opening up construction from Mettuguda to the Secunderabad railway station, Miyapur-S.R. Nagar, Victoria Memorial Home (Saroornagar)-L.B.Nagar besides Begumpet-Rasoolpura,” Mr Gadgil explained.
“We will be aggressively pursuing the construction from now on. Many think we are doing it fast, but we need to double the work if the project is to be completed in five years. But once our piers are ready, the difficulties of commuters will reduce as most work will be on top,” he added.
Mr. Gadgil said work on raising piers, attaching segments and forming the viaduct would be taken up simultaneously at various construction sites, with the Nagole-Mettuguda stretch also getting parapet walls of the viaduct. Soil testing too is being expedited by carrying out confirmatory bores at precise pier points to save time.
Construction has started at the Miyapur depot, and it will begin at Falaknuma depot soon. Work on the metro rail nerve centre – the five-storied operational control centre – has begun at the Uppal depot along with workshop building, drains, cabling and trenches.
