A trial run on the Thykoodam-Pettah viaduct of the Kochi metro was conducted on Saturday, the last stretch of the metro’s Phase I, as a prelude to commissioning the 1.2-km corridor by the first week of April.
The trial run, at an approximate speed of 5 km per hour, started at 7.40 a.m. from Thykoodam and reached Pettah at 8 a.m. During the trial run, officials of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) inspected the functioning of tracks and the traction system laid beside the tracks, from where the trains source power. The return trip started at 8.20 a.m. and reached Thykoodam at 9 a.m.
A success
“The first trial run was a success. In the coming days, further trial runs will be conducted in the corridor. Once they are over, the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety [CMRS] will conduct the mandatory inspection, following which KMRL will proceed with the commissioning of the stretch,” said KMRL managing director Alkesh Kumar Sharma.
The main focus of the trial run was identifying obstructions. Signalling trials will be conducted on Saturday midnight and on Sunday night for track data checking, KMRL sources said.
Meanwhile, the Pettah metro station is getting ready. Work on the northern side entry is nearing completion, while work on the entry on the southern side will take a couple of months more.
With the metro touching Pettah, the 25.60-km Phase I of the project, executed by DMRC, will get over.
KMRL has taken up widening of the Pettah-Vadakkekotta-SN Junction Road and is also engaged in piling on the stretch. There will be two stations in the corridor — Vadakkekotta and SN Junction.
The stretch is slated for commissioning in the third quarter of 2021. The metro viaduct will later be extended to near the Thripunithura railway station where a new bus station too has been proposed.
