Trial run on phase-1 extended line begins in Chennai – Times of India

CHENNAI: A diesel locomotive was operated on the 9km phase-1 extension line from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar on Saturday as part of the trial runs on the stretch, which is expected to be commissioned by the end of January 2021. CMRL officials said the operation of the locomotive has paved way for conducting trials with the metro trains on the route in the coming days. The 9-km line will have eight stations, including two underground stations, to link a part of north Chennai with the core areas and transport hubs in the city such as Central and Egmore stations, the CMBT and the airport.
In a release, CMRL said the locomotive was operated on both the upline and downline of the 9km stretch, completing the first trial run successfully. This, officials said, is done to check the alignment of the tracks after inspecting for any structural infringements along the route with the operation of a trolley carrying a frame of the train.
Following this, officials said, they will begin operating a metro train on the line in manual mode. Once the manual operation is completed successfully and issues, if any identified, are fixed, testing of signalling systems will begin. To test the signals, the train may have to be operated in automatic mode where except for the switch on/off of a train and open/close of the train doors, all other functions are performed automatically. On a regular day, metro trains operated in automatic mode are monitored from the operations control centre where staff will take control of a train during emergencies.
In phase-1 extension line, CMRL said installation of various systems such as ballastless tracks, overhead equipment (OHE), signals, tunnel ventilation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), platform screen doors, automatic fare collection (AFC) gates are underway for early commissioning.