Source: Timesof India Dt: Jun 13, 2014
HYDERABAD: The first Hyderabad Metro Rail train is likely to chug in for a mandatory trial run along an 8-km stretch between Nagole and Mettuguda by the end of this month. The service is scheduled to be thrown open to the public in March 2015, in what is being billed as an Ugadi gift.
Sources in the department of municipal administration and urban development said Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who is directly monitoring the progress of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, is expected to launch the trial run in the first stage of the project, which includes three corridors (Miyapur-LB Nagar, JBS-Falaknuma, and Nagole- Shilparamam) covering 71.08 km.
"At present, electrification of the track is being done and it is expected to be completed in a couple of days. Once it is done, the date for the trial run would be fixed," said a department official. According to him, since the work is progressing fast, seven Metro stations on the stretch — Nagole, Uppal, NGRI, Habsiguda, Tarnaka, Lalaguda and Mettuguda — will be operational in a month's time.
The trial run is mandatory as per the safety certification norms and the train has to run for at least 2000 km before the certification process. The Commissioner for Railway Safety (CRS), which works under the ministry of civil aviation, and Research Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO), which belongs to the ministry of railways, would conduct a safety audit of the project. While CRS officials would inspect the tracks and train for safety and speed norms, RDSO officials will check for compliance with design, standards and specifications.
The first engine and bogies arrived last month and are being subjected to static tests, including the functioning of electro-mechanical equipment and software inside the train. "Once the static test is done, we will put the train on the test track within Uppal depot before taking up the trial run between Nagole and Mettuguda," said a technical staff member. The officials said the safety certification process was expected to be completed by this December, following which the first phase would be ready for the public in March.
Sources in the department of municipal administration and urban development said Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who is directly monitoring the progress of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, is expected to launch the trial run in the first stage of the project, which includes three corridors (Miyapur-LB Nagar, JBS-Falaknuma, and Nagole- Shilparamam) covering 71.08 km.
"At present, electrification of the track is being done and it is expected to be completed in a couple of days. Once it is done, the date for the trial run would be fixed," said a department official. According to him, since the work is progressing fast, seven Metro stations on the stretch — Nagole, Uppal, NGRI, Habsiguda, Tarnaka, Lalaguda and Mettuguda — will be operational in a month's time.
The trial run is mandatory as per the safety certification norms and the train has to run for at least 2000 km before the certification process. The Commissioner for Railway Safety (CRS), which works under the ministry of civil aviation, and Research Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO), which belongs to the ministry of railways, would conduct a safety audit of the project. While CRS officials would inspect the tracks and train for safety and speed norms, RDSO officials will check for compliance with design, standards and specifications.
The first engine and bogies arrived last month and are being subjected to static tests, including the functioning of electro-mechanical equipment and software inside the train. "Once the static test is done, we will put the train on the test track within Uppal depot before taking up the trial run between Nagole and Mettuguda," said a technical staff member. The officials said the safety certification process was expected to be completed by this December, following which the first phase would be ready for the public in March.
