Hyderabad Metro Bringing in Lifestyle Changes

Engineering Features

The metro stations’ cantilever type design, mentioned earlier, has each station resting on just 10 central pillars, a spine & wings and no side-pillars – the first such design in India. This design avoids portal structures and tunnel effect over the road at Metro stations and gives a clear, open view of the road below.

The metro would have check rails, also called restraining rails, procured from Tata Steel, France, to minimise wear and tear of the main rails, and to prevent trains from derailing while negotiating sharp curves. Another special feature is the Track Master, a unique instrument for checking the parameters of tracks and to enhance the quality of track installation. This has been procured from M/s Trimble USA. This instrument is being used in India for the second time after Chennai; L&T is the first to introduce this technology in India, both in Chennai & Hyderabad. Another first is the simulation study based track design used for the project – the first time this has been used for a metro project in the country. In this process, before the tracks were actually designed, the probable speed of train in a particular stretch was determined by carrying out a simulation study. Based on this data the track was accordingly designed only for that particular speed in that particular stretch. This avoided the need for designing the track for much higher speeds than required.

One of the principal aims of HMR project is to make Hyderabad a happier city for the citizens. This begins by making it a city for citizens and not cars

Further, this process offers better ride comfort to the passengers, reduces rail and wheel wear as well as loading on the Viaduct and increases the productivity in track installation.

HMR is a completely elevated Metro Rail project. Underground construction has been avoided because of the tough rocky terrain conditions of Hyderabad and also for energy efficiency, cost considerations & better economics of the elevated system. The difficult terrain and crowded spaces have been tackled with better engineering solutions and fine tuning of the alignment. The construction method is PSC segmental method and 70% of the construction is through pre-casting.

A prominent feature of the Hyderabad Metro is its emphasis on intermodal integration. The metro will be integrated with existing rail terminals, the city’s suburban rail MMTS stations & bus depots and will also link to a new bus rapid transport (BRT) system throughout the city. There will be “Merry go round” feeder buses between metro stations & catchment areas, with seamless travel being ensured between these different modes and the Metro by the facility of travel on the same ticket. Unlike most mass transit systems in the world where intermodal connectivity is retrofitted, HMR will have built in intermodal connectivity.

NMT and last mile connectivity facilities include bicycle lanes, footpaths and special pedestrian facilities including sky-walks below the viaduct. Cycling will be encouraged and free bicycles will be available at the metro stations. About 200 skywalks will be built in the city as a part of the project. These skywalks will connect the metro to schools, hospitals, government buildings, commercial establishments, shopping complexes, and malls, thereby eliminating the need for commuters to go down to the roads, thus relieving congestion on the road. There will also be separate bus-ways, auto-ways and car & two-wheeler parking areas and street furniture at the ground level.

HMR stations have been designed with stringent security considerations, making security resemble the security at airports. The IP based Comprehensive Perimeter Security System includes CCTV cameras and other surveillance equipment, sensors and alarms for monitoring of unmanned areas, access-controlled passenger entry and baggage checking systems, installation of intrusion detection systems, onboard surveillance through video recording in trains and anti-sabotage checking measures. The stations will be provided with fire protection and detection system.