BEML rakes achieved speeds over 90 kmph during East West Metro trials

KOLKATA: The BEML standard gauge rakes used in the East West Metro's Green Line between Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah operated at over 90 kmph during trials along two stretches in 2020 and two other sections in 2024. The other metro lines in Kolkata operate with broad guage rakes. The East West Metro line become fully operational on Friday when the last section linking Sealdah Station and Esplanade was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi.KMRC Deputy Chief Electrical Engineer GP Halder, who supervised the testing and operationalisation of the line, said the rakes picked up speeds between 90-92 kmph in straight stretches between Salt Lake Sector V and Karunamoyee and City Centre until the track curved before Bengal Chemical in late 2019.

In the other two stretches, first after the train crossed the cave-in zone in Bowbazar and hit Nirmal Chandra Street until it reached Wellington Square, and the other when the train hit SN Banerjee Road until it reached Esplanade Station, were carried out earlier this year."The speed trials conducted in the presence of Railway Design & Standards Organisation personnel and then the Commissioner of Railway Safety before the launch of operations were in short bursts in sections where the track is straight.

At the curves, speed was reduced to 55-60 kmph. The train was extremely stable through the trial," recounted Halder.The highest speed achieved was 92 kmph between Salt Lake Sector V and Karunamoyee stations. The design speed for the Green Line is 80 kmph. After the safety margin, trains have been allowed to operate at 70 kmph. The trains are currently running at speeds of 65-75 kmph in straight sections and 40-50 kmph at curves, depending on how sharp they are.Before the trial run through the cave-in zone, the rakes were manually pushed through the west-bound tunnel where tunnel boring machine Urvi hit an aquifer on August 31, 2019, leading to the catastrophic cave-in that stalled the project for several months."If the cave-in had not happened, trials would have been conducted on the Bowbazar Esplanade stretch in 2020-21. But with two other cave-ins happening in 2023, trials were delayed," recounted Halder.Apart from the 17 passenger rakes that are there in the Green Line at present, KMRC also acquired a battery-powered electrical locomotive for use as a relief train to clear tracks if a rake gets stranded and the electrical supply has to be switched off.