STRAP: Overall work on the project is three-fourths complete
Mumbai: Mumbai’s first underground metro, the Metro Line 3 connecting Colaba to SEEPZ via the Bandra-Kurla Complex, will be floodproof. The metro stations are being built around 1.5 meters above ground level, and will also have removable floodgates at the entry and exit points to avoid waterlogging. Along with the floodgates, MMRC has also made provisions for an underground rainwater drain system and pumps to suck out water.
“The stations and tunnels are made in such a way that the only way rainwater could enter the premises is through the entry and exit points. We have removable planks that can be placed to restrict water from entering the premises. Moreover, during floods, the number of people on the roads will be fewer so the floodgates will not restrict movement. All station buildings are constructed at a height to avoid flood water from entering the premises,” said a senior officer from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC).
Till now, over 1000 km of trial runs of the metro from Aarey to Marol Naka have been completed, and MMRC plans to end the runs by February. “The trial runs are currently conducted at a speed of 65 km an hour. The speed will be further augmented to a maximum of 95 km per hour during the oscillation trials. The latter will be followed by integration and signalling trials and finally service trials,” said an officer from MMRC.
The design-proving trial run is being held from August 30 onwards with one rake on one track on the three-kilometre stretch between Aarey and Marol Naka stations. The first prototype rake will run to and fro on this track at night on a regular basis. After the crossover track is removed, the trial run will extend till Sahar.
The existing prototype train will be shifted to the down line and a new set of coaches will come from Sri City in Andhra Pradesh for testing and trials. The entire trial encompasses a 10,000 km-run.
“A multimodal integration at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus will be done with the Metro Line 3. This will help commuters from Central Railway to access Metro Line 3 through an underpass,” said an officer from MMRC.
Till now, the overall project progress is 76.6 percent. Tunnelling work is 99.6 percent complete while the track work is 45 percent complete. The metro will be the first to have platforms that are enclosed—the doors will open only after a train enters a platform and the train doors slide open for passengers. This system will avoid the trespassing on tracks that is so common on Mumbai’s railways.
Background
The Metro 3 line is called Aqua line. Its prototype coaches are 3,200 mm wide and each can accommodate approximately 2,400 passengers. This line of the metro portrays marine culture and the importance that the sea has for Mumbai.
The 33.5-km-long Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro 3 project is the first underground corridor of the metro network coming up in the city. Of the 27 stations on this line, 26 will be underground. This metro line is funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. High-voltage charging (25 KV AC daily) of the eight coaches of the prototype train began on August 15.