CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Work is postponed on north Chennai metro rail line because of the lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus but work outside the production site is on full swing.
The CMRL has floated tenders to appoint a firm to manage a safety assessment of the line that is the 1st step towards opening the line for use. As per the tender invite, Chennai Metro is searching for an independent safety assessor empanelled through the Research Designs & Standards Organisation of the railway ministry.
The assessor would investigate systems that are critical for everyday processes such as train control system, signalling, & its related interface to the trains and platform screen door systems.
First Phase extension line would have 2 underground stations with platform screen doors, while the rest 6 stations would be elevated.
A metro official stated once the independent safety review is made and certified, they will call for an inspection via the commissioner of metro rail safety (CMRS), who is the final authority to clear the line for commercial services.
The 9 km long line from Washermenpet-Wimco Nagar was initially supposed to be opened by June 2020. With the lockdown, stalling work at the development site and delaying acquisition of some electrical elements from China and European countries the opening of the line can be delayed by 1-2 month.
An official stated that we are not sure when the CMRS would be invited for inspection as our work is now stopped because of the lockdown. In March, Metro officials turned a trolley to investigate the ballastless tracks and their alignment across the nine km stretch.
