Track-laying work going full steam ahead

Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd has started laying tracks on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro line and hopes the entire corridor to be covered in about three or four months.

Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) has started laying tracks on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro line and hopes the entire corridor to be covered in about three or four months. MMOPL the special purpose vehicle created by Reliance Infrastructure the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Veolia Transport for constructing the 11-km corridor,started the process earlier this month and has laid about 2,200 m of track in Andheri West near Azad Nagar station.

We are focusing more on the western side and then moving towards the east because we want one whole stretch to be ready, an official said.

The special purpose vehicle has imported 3,219 rails of 18 m each from Austria and a minimum of 200 skilled and semi-skilled labourers are required to work on the track-laying and casting process on one stretch at one point of time. VNC Rail One is in charge of the track work.

The aim is to lay and cast 100 m each every day on an average,but its not always possible to go on at this speed because of rain. At some stretches,the girder launching process is still going on,so we cant start laying the tracks, the official said,adding that 80 per cent of the girders have been cast.

Totally,the tilt and the alignment is checked three times in the track laying process, an official at the construction site near Azad Nagar said. The track laying and casting process takes place in the day,while the checking goes on at night as the tracks expand during the day.

The Metro team is also installing a safety guard on both side of the tracks to avoid derailments. Ordinary rail tracks only use brackets on sharp curves to minimise the chances of derailment.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade had earlier suggested there should be an NOC for the tracks as well,but Chief Fire Officer A N Shinde said the MMRDA had rejected the suggestion. We have in-principle nod from the Fire Brigade to continue the project. All provisions are in place, MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar said.

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Another fire official said although a fire NOC for tracks isnt required in other cities,Mumbai has a different topography and population dynamics. Every station is almost one km apart. If there is a mishap,there needs to be some fire-fighting equipment between stations and on tracks, he said.

A source at the Metro project said an NOC for tracks is not required. No other city which has a Metro service has been asked to get an NOC for the tracks. The fire department is satisfied with the safety norms at the stations and the car shed. We have an in-built safety system for the train to automatically reach the next station in case of disaster, he said.

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