Chennai: The second-last safety test required to be done before the commercial launch of the city’s maiden metro rail service will commence in roughly a week. M/s Arthur and D Little, a UK based firm which won the independent safety assessment (IAS) contract of CMRL (Chennai Metro Rail Limited), will pay one last visit to study the completed Koyambed-Alandur section awaiting commissioning.
Senior CMRL officials who confirmed the visit of the safety assessors told Deccan Chronicle that Arthur and D Little Ltd had already visited the coach manufacturing units at Sao Paolo in Brazil and Sri City in Tada (Andhra), besides inspecting the signals, tracks and civil infrastructure on the 10-km elevated corridor.
“Next week's will be the last visit before certifying the corridor fit and safe to commence commercial run,” a senior CMRL officer requesting anonymity said, explaining that independent safety assessment is done by certified safety consultants who are authorised to inspect and attest the networks worldwide.
As per the contractual conditions, M/s Arthur D Little, which was awarded the IAS contract for Rs 3.5 crore in August 2012, has to complete its work before March 23, 2015. IAS certification is the last step ahead of the CMRS (Commissioner of Metro Rrail Safety) inspection. “We have already written to the CMRS. Once we receive the independent safety assessment certificate from M/s Arthur…we will invite the CMRS for final audit and approval of commercial run.
Thereafter, it is just a question of fixing the date of launch of the commercial run,” the CMRL officer added. The trains and network are designed to clock a maximum speed of 80kmph. However, the average speed would only be around 35kmph.
Speed is one of the vital aspects that would be factored in during the IAS and CMRS audit. The 10-km Koyambedu-Alandur corridor was originally scheduled to be commissioned in October, 2014.
