Touching speeds of 80 kmph, Mr Raj said the trials were very smooth
S. Henry Sesha Raj Metro rail driver
Hyderabad:S. Henry Sesha Raj, the first to test drive the Hyderabad Metro trains, finds them to be excellent. Touching speeds of 80 kmph, Mr Raj said the trials were very smooth. Mr Raj, who had a stint with the Bengaluru Metro Rail for one-and-a-half years, finds the Hyderabad Metro trains more sophisticated and easy to drive.
A retired loco-pilot from the South Indian Railways, Mr Raj has driven long-distance trains for the Indian railways. The new high-speed trains give him the feel of speed and alignment. The Metro train has an announcement system, LCD TVs for route maps and infotainment.
The insides of the train have been designed like the global Metro trains with a lot of of standing space, seating arrangements on the side and broad doorways. The safety of the passengers would also be taken care of.
The doors will be open for 20 seconds and the expected capacity of each train is 2,000 passengers. The train has three coaches each. So far, seven trains have arrived and Mr Raj is going to test all of them. The testing is being done at night.
Stations to be 4-tiered, have 3 levels of security:
City Metro stations have been designed to have four levels street, concourse, platform and roof level. Only passengers with tickets will have access to the platform level. Passengers will be able to access the station via stairs, escalators and lifts. These will be on the pavement at the street level. The ticket counters will be on the concourse level. This will also have commercial establishments and kiosks.
A senior officer said, “The issue of food courts has not been decided yet. We do not want to use gas cylinders inside the station area.” The concourse level will be connected to skywalks and adjoining properties like commercial malls, office complexes and educational institutions.
Above the concourse level will be the platform level, which will be smaller and meant only for passengers. Special arrangements will be made for the visually impaired and physically-challenged. A Metro station can handle 4,000 people.
There will be three levels of security looking into the safety of passengers and infrastructure. Safety aspects in terms of terror attacks have also been worked out.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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