Railways approve GADs for Metro Rail crossings

Hyderabad, May 1 (INN): A series of technical discussions and site inspections by the railway engineers, structural engineers and alignment experts of L and T and HMR led by HMR MD Mr NVS Reddy and the Principal Heads of Departments and senior engineers of SC Railway led by SC Railway GM Mr MS Jayanth have yielded fruitful results. SC Railway authorities have now approved the first set of 'General Arrangement Drawings' (GADs) for four metro rail crossings submitted by HMR.

Given the complex arrangements, technical complications and the legalities of Right of Way as per the Indian Railways Act, railway clearances for elevated metro rail crossings over the railway tracks is normally a prolonged affair.

The organizations seeking Right of Way permissions over railway tracks have to satisfy the stringent conditions of the Indian Railways codes and rule books and from it's earlier experience of delays in obtaining railway permissions elsewhere in the country, L and T was pleasantly surprised with the fast paced clearances obtained from the Railways by HMR. The first set of GADs for the metro rail crossings at four places, namely Bharatnagar, Lakdikapul, Malakpet and Begumpet were approved by SC Railway in a record two months after their submission.

Indicating that the drawings for the remaining crossing points at Alugadda Bavi, Chilkalguda, Oliphanta Bridge and Wadi end of Secunderabad Railway station (western end) will be cleared shortly, the Railway authorities have accorded approvals for the first four metro rail crossings with the condition that proper integration of metro rail stations with the nearest railway station shall be achieved by HMR providing walkways, skywalks, parking facilities, etc. They have also stipulated that at Secunderabad station, the nearest Metro Rail station shall be connected to various platforms of the railway station with skywalks and escalators.

Construction of elevated metro rail structures over the railway tracks is a critical activity determining the progress of the metro rail project and the early approvals accorded by SC Railway would enable speedy progress of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, said Mr NVS Reddy. He has further stated that the railway safety specifications, vertical (height) and horizontal clearances, infringement regulations etc., would be strictly adhered to. The metro crossing works will be done in close coordination with the Railway authorities by obtaining regular 'traffic blocks', as the elevated metro structures will have to be very carefully erected over the railway tracks without affecting the movement of Indian Railways trains.

Appreciating the proactive lead taken by Mr MS Jayanth in ensuring railway clearance for the metro rail crossings in a short time, Mr NVS Reddy and L and T Metro Rail MD Mr VB Gadgil thanked and felicitated Mr Jayanth on the eve of his retirement. They have also thanked Additional GM Mr R Vijay Mohan, Principal Chief Engineer Mr Pradeep Kumar, Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) Mr SK Sharma, Chief Operations Manager Mr Sunil K Agarwal, DRM Secunderabad Mr Sanjiv Roy, DRM Hyderabad Mr Margoob Hussain, Chief General Engineer Mr Manjul Mathur and other Principal Heads of the Departments and senior engineers for their role in according railway approvals for the drawings of metro rail crossings in a short time.