The highly ambitious metro project in Mumbai that plans to connect the city has been under development for years.
In the latest, the long-awaited Metro 3, known as the Aqua line, has reached a major development milestone, with it expected to be operational soon.
Reportedly, from this week, the authorities will conduct loaded integrated trials on trains running the Phase 1 Aarey-Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) route. So far, dry tests with empty coaches have been conducted to test the metro’s designed speeds of up to 95 kph.
According to a report by The Hindustan Times, the loaded trials are likely to begin this week and will continue for some time. During the testing, the coaches’ oscillations on straight tracks and curves, as well as other features, will be recorded.
The term ‘loaded trials’ refers to each coach of the eight-car train being loaded with stone-filled gunny sacks based on the train’s tonnage capacity. This is a method of determining the operation of trains based on passenger weight before they become open to public use.
A government official said, “We do not want to leave any margin of error before we open the line to passengers, as safety is paramount. Thus, the trials are very thorough,” as quoted by the Hindustan Times. Post-trial, the official informed the Research, Design, and Safety Organisation (RDSO) and the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) will inspect Metro 3 for numerous other factors.
As per the report, this was the first time in India that an eight-car metro train included a 75 percent motor for improved movement. Reportedly, other metro lines use 50 percent motors. This is also one of the reasons why authorities such as the RDSO and CMRS are required to conduct an extensive examination during the trials to ward off any dangers.
On March 12, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) began integrated trial runs of subterranean Metro Line-3 Phase 1. The service would be available to customers once MMRCL receives approval from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS).
While work on the phase is mostly complete, the remaining work includes station beautifying, last-minute station and platform touch-ups, and other minor works as per the report. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited has 19 rakes in its fleet, which will be enough to operate Phase 1 of the underground metro system.
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