Underground station inspection under way

The final inspection for two underground stretches of the Chennai Metro Rail by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) began on Monday.

The CMRL officials said the stretches can become operational in two weeks after CMRS approval.

While the inspection on the stretch between Nehru Park and Chennai Central will be on Monday and Tuesday, the stretch between Saidapet and AG-DMS will be inspected on Friday and Saturday.

K.A. Manoharan, Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety, said, “We will look at various systems and their functioning and whether it is safe for passengers to travel on both these stretches. We will check the working of facilities such as fire-fighting systems, tunnel ventilation system [the one which provides for natural ventilation at underground stations] and other passenger amenities,” he said.

At present, only one track between the Shenoy Nagar station and the Nehru Park station is functional. During the inspection, they will include the other track from Shenoy Nagar to Nehru Park and continue the inspection up to the Central covering a distance of 5.6 km. On Tuesday from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m., trains will be run at the maximum speed of 80 km per hour, said Mr. Manoharan.

He didn’t comment on when the certificate of approval will be issued for starting operations.

An international safety assessment approval by a private firm has come for the stretch from Nehru Park to Chennai Central, sources said. The Saidapet to AG-DMS stretch will also get this approval in a day or two.