METRO RAIL TRAIN ZIPS OVER CITY ROADS

Trial run conducted on 5.6-km stretch between Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar

As curious onlookers gazed in awe and photographers seized the moment, a bluish-silver train went on a solo trip for 5.6 km on an elevated corridor towering over hundreds of vehicles on city roads. It was Chennai Metro Rail’s extensive trial run on Friday from Koyambedu to Ashok Nagar.

At noon, the train departed from the depot in Koyambedu, travelled at a speed of about 10 kmph and reached Ashok Nagar in about an hour. But when it returned, the speed was increased to almost 25 kmph, officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited said.

The speed of the train during such trials may be limited; but when the Metro Rail gets operational, the train’s average speed will be 35 kmph and maximum speed 80 kmph, an official said.

Track work has been done for the onward and return lines till Ashok Nagar. But, the electrification work has been completed only for the onward line that enabled the trial run. The trials on the onward line will increase from Saturday and will continue for a while, he said.

The train was manufactured in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Then, the city got its first glimpse on the track when Chief Minister Jayalalithaa flagged off the trial run in November, followed by a mini-trial run fifteen days ago.

Meanwhile, four trains that arrived in two batches are being put through a battery of tests before they undergo trial runs. The trial run was to be conducted for a 11-km stretch from Koyambedu to St. Thomas Mount last December itself. But owing to delays, the length was scaled down from 11 km to the present 5.6 km, officials said.