Chennai Metro says it has taken steps to ensure safety of passengers during monsoon – The Hindu

Chennai Metro Rail has said they have been taking various steps to ensure the safety of passengers while operating trains during the monsoon.

For instance, anemometers, which are high-precision instruments, constantly measure the speed of the wind and generate electrical and electronic data and give out audio and visual alarms on a real-time basis, according to a release from Chennai Metro Rail. This instrument has been positioned at Alandur Metro Rail station, Operation Control Centre (OCC), the tunnel ventilation shafts and other important locations.

“As the Metro trains operate across the corridors at a height of 15m to 24m from the road, wind is one of the critical factors that affect movement of trains,” the release said.

Should the wind speed cross 70 kmph, the train speed is reduced to 40 kmph and if the wind speed goes over 90 kmph, the train services are stopped temporarily on safety grounds. Also, the train operators communicate to the OCC through wireless communication.

Routine checks for wipers, headlights, safety lights, door closing mechanism, infringement to tracks or overhead electric cable, water stagnation ingress in the tunnel and in the entry points of the stations are done by the staff, the release said.

“Lightning Arrestors have been installed in the main OHE sub-stations and other structures. These lightning arrestors and surge protection equipment protect OHE and other critical instruments. OHE system is provided with high sensitive relays, which operates to isolate the system in milliseconds in case of abnormalities,” the release said.