Metro girder work near Baiyappanahalli on

BENGALURU:  With the Railways finally permitting traffic and power blockage for a small stretch between Karmelaram and Baiyappanahalli stations on the Bengaluru-Salem line, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has begun work on its overhead structures above the railway line. BMRCL had recently announced that it would be opening the Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield only up to K R Puram, as work at the railway crossing near Baiyappanahalli is yet to start.

TNIE has a copy of the letter issued by the senior divisional operations manager of Bengaluru Railway Division, approving line blocks ranging from three to four hours on nine separate days, between December 8 and December 31, to facilitate BMRCL to carry out its work.

The process of erecting an open web steel girder running to 65 metres, began on Friday, a senior BMRCL official said. The girder is a steel structure fabricated and erected over the span (horizontal structure between the piers). The girder is being erected between pillars 25 and 26.

“Concrete would then be poured to create a deck, over which the rail tracks are laid,” the official added. “It is being done at a height of 14 metres above the railway tracks. Anything over 8 metres above the railway tracks is safe, and there will be no issues in future when trains run.” The launch will happen on December 19, the source said.

The erection of the girder marks commencement of work on the 2.5-km stretch from KR Puram to Baiyappanahalli. This stretch is set for commercial operations by June 2023, while the 13-km stretch from Whitefield to K R Puram, where testing is on at present, is likely to become operational by mid-March next year.  

Nearly 500 tonnes of steel were imported from Bhilai to ready this girder. BMRCL previously constructed its structure over the railway line near Malleswaram, during its Phase-I project. “It was a 60-metre structure in concrete, and was created at the site itself,” the official said.