Delhi mishaps won’t deter namma Metro

Delhi mishaps won’t deter namma Metro
S Kushala | TNN

Bangalore: Amidst ‘ifs and buts’ and under the shadow of Big Brother Delhi Metro, Namma Metro is trying to chug safely on the yet-to-be laid tracks. Notwithstanding the aspersions being cast on the project here, every time a mishap occurs at the Delhi Metro site, BMRC is trying hard not to deviate from its December 2010 deadline.
The chief minister’s deadline is September 2010, and BMRC’s is December 2010 to commission the 7-km Reach 1 between MG Road and Byappanahalli. Though the initial timeline to complete Reach I was December 2009, the work faced major delay, cancellation of contract and fresh tendering process.
“Over the past eight months, work has been speeded up and we are positive about completing it by September, carry out trials for two months and commission the line by December,’’ explain BMRC officials.
Gammon India Ltd and General Consultants, who are under a cloud for the fatal mishap at the Delhi Metro project site due to structural collapse, are also associated with the project.
Gammon is executing a part of Reach I — launching of steel girders, which is a crucial part of the work. General Consultants are overseeing the entire Phase I.
“The decision taken by the Union government to issue showcause notice to Gammon and replace General Consultants will not have any implications on Bangalore Metro. It is on project-to-project basis and not company as a whole. The audit and safety checks done at Bangalore do not show any defects and the project is on the tracks,’’ officials of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation told The Times of India.
The construction of piers is in swift progress on Old Madras Road, the other end. With pillars in place on the MG Road stretch, BMRC is planning to launch the steel segments shortly. The super-structure, weighing about 450 tonne, will be placed on the pillars after all the safety checks. On this structure, the tracks will be laid and retaining walls constructed.
The Rs 8,100-crore Namma Metro will criss-cross the city with its 42.3-km network running along Yeshwantpur-Old Madras Road-Mysore Road-Kanakapura Road. The estimated cost is currently Rs 191.48 crore per km, which is expected to increase by 25%, thanks to fluctuating steel and cement prices and increase over the past four years.
Orders have been placed for rolling stocks — the coaches. Three-car train sets with a capacity to ferry 1,000 passengers, stainless steel car body, micro-processor controlled, wide gangway between coaches to allow free movement of passengers, smooth finish interior panels, non-slip and nonskid floor structure — the coaches are customised to suit Bangalore’s climatic conditions.
AT YOUR SERVICE By March 2010, 150 rolling stocks will be procured at a cost of Rs 1,055 crore for 50 Namma Metro trains
Trains will zip across 33-km network connecting the four corridors, by December 2012
Service starts at 5 am till midnight, at a frequency of 3 minutes during peak hour
Trains will ply at 80 kmph