Metro rail link to HiTec City station from Ameerpet is likely to happen by January-end. Trial runs and testing of signalling and telecommunications equipment will take place till middle of next month following which the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) will go on a ride before giving the final nod.
Senior officials, pleading anonymity, have indicated that despite the best efforts put in by Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) and L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) engineers in the last few weeks towards completing the 10 km stretch, it was realised that the critical works cannot be done by the month-end as was envisaged earlier.
Last month-end, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Hyderabad Metro Rail commissioning, top metro rail officials went on a trial run between Ameerpet-HiTec City to take note of the various ‘critical parameters and performance’ of the train during the trial run between the seven stations enroute — Madhura Nagar (Taruni), Yousufguda, Jubilee Hills Road No.5, Jubilee Hills Check Post, Peddammagudi, Madhapur and Durgam Cheruvu. Most construction activity at the viaduct and station level including overhead power lines have been done while the entry-exit works are nearing completion. HMR has also taken up ground-level works at a few stretches between Jubilee Hills check post and HiTec City stations.
The technical challenge is, however, the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) technology because the train reversal facility beyond HiTec City station up to Trident Hotel is likely to be ready by March-April only. This has forced the metro rail officials to plan to run trains up and down on the twin tracks as ‘independent single lines using a mix of conventional railway signalling and CBTC systems’, senior officials explained.
In the last few days, metro rail engineers have successfully taken up piers work on HiTec City flyover and beside the HiTec City building and up to Trident Hotel 19 piers have to be built for the reversal work. Meanwhile, there is every likelihood of the entire Corridor Three (Blue Line) from Nagole to Raidurg (28 km) to be done by middle of next year with piers and viaduct construction underway from Raidurg towards HiTec City.
