Namma Metro safety tests may be slack

Bangalore's rail builders aren't testing the bridge for strength against water and wind currents, says expert who plans to take the lapse to the chief minister

Namma Metro safety tests may be slack

Bangalore's rail builders aren't testing the bridge for strength against water and wind currents, says expert who plans to take the lapse to the chief minister

The Delhi Metro bridge mishap, which killed six yesterday, has left experts worried about its Bangalore counterpart, now under construction.

Standard tests to ensure safety are perhaps not being carried out, an expert advising the government told MiD DAY yesterday. "A mishap in Bangalore similar to that in New Delhi can't be ruled out," said Prof M N Shrihari, special advisor to the state government on infrastructure. "We haven't seen any records so far about tests at a model testing lab." He plans to take his complaint to chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.

Shrihari said the preliminary tests the Namma Metro authorities had conducted might not be enough to assess the strength of the alignment. The first phase of Namma Metro covers 42 km and has 40 stations. Piers and decks are being built across the city, including on M G Road, as part of the work.

'Small changes can cause accidents'

Even if the piers and decks have passed basic tests, the expert doubts if they have undergone simulation and model testing methods for water and wind currents in a lab.u00a0 "Each part of the construction needs to pass certain tests, but they are not being carried out in Bangalore," said Shrihari.

Tricky variables

Tests for cylindric strength and cube strength must be carried out during construction, he said.

Results of tests done in the past may differ from those obtained during construction. "Even a small change can cause a major accident," he warned.

Stress fears

Shot in the dark: The construction of the Namma Metro continues pic/Vinod Kumar T

When a metro rail project is undertaken, a model structure is created and tested after natural conditions matching the ones at the site are simulated in a lab.

The lab, usually attached to an engineering research centre, uses its simulation set-up to detect minor analytical errors. The metro builders then use the data to make necessary corrections at the site.

Engineers say even minor errors cause "eccentricity and deflection" after construction, and can lead to stress and collapse.

A wind tunnel test assesses the strength of a rail alignment to withstand strong winds, but Shrihari believes it has not been done for Namma Metro.

The Karnataka Engineering Research Station in Mysore is said to be the only recognised simulation and model testing centre in Karnataka.u00a0

Metro denial

But Namma Metro officials aren't losing any sleep over the allegation.

N Sivasailam, managing director, BMRCL, said, "I'm confident about the safety standards we have and the tests being carried out."

He told MiD DAY the railway authorities wouldn't permit Namma Metro to run trains unless their stipulations were met.

"And we need not display each and every record publicly," he said.

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