KOCHI (Metro Rail News): The Kochi Metro successfully completed the trial run along the stretch from Maharaja’s College station till the cantilever bridge near south rail overbridge in Ernakulam on Sunday.
The metro started from the Maharaja’s College around 6.30am on Sunday and traveled at a speed of 5km per hour. It stopped midway on the cantilever bridge, which is after the south station. The metro would be stationed on the bridge for 24 hours to test its strength.
The trial run would continue on Monday morning when the metro would travel back-and-forth along the stretch. Soon, the trial run till Thykoodam would also be held.
The balanced cantilever bridge over the rail lines of the Ernakulam South Railway Station and the metro track above the Vytilla overbridge are the most crucial parts of the metro construction. The metro that first started services from Aluva till Palarivattom, and that was then extended till Maharaja’s College did not have to face such critical challenges of civil construction prior to this.
The checks on these stretches are going on. Though balanced cantilever bridges are employed for metros in other cities, they are all along a straight stretch.
However, the cantilever bridge is along a semi-circle curve in Kochi. The metro, loaded with sand-filled gunny bags, from the Muttom station had reached Maharaja’s College for the trial run.
Around 900 people can travel on a metro train and the gunny bags were filled accordingly. The track was prepared for the trial run by removing the barricades and gunny bags on it in the wee hours of Sunday. Electricity was passed on through the third rail.
The metro reached the south station at a speed of 5km per hour. The focus was given to the checks on the cantilever bridge. The bridge’s strength would be checked during specific durations. If no faults were found, further trial 7/22/2019 Kochi Metro completes trial run to crucial cantilever bridge runs would be held on Monday.
This would continue for three days. Only after this, the trial run to Thykoodam would be held. Senior officials of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) were also on board the metro during the trial run.
