Metro trains in the open web girder above the railway track at Benniganahalli.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Namma Metro has begun conducting load tests on its tracks laid on the open web girder (OWG) installed above the railway track at Benniganahalli in eastern Bengaluru. The load test is aimed at ascertaining the strength of the OWG, whose bottom sits 8.45 metres above the railway track. The OWG is 63.22 metres wide and weighs 550 metric tonnes.
The BMRCL has filled the OWG track with sandbags as part of the load test. Additionally, it has stationed two trains filled with sandbags on the twin tracks. The next step is to run trains at higher speeds, 80 kmph and above, on the OWG track. Trial runs on the 2.1-km Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura section of the Purple Line began on July 26 with the BMRCL running trains at 10-15 kmph. The BMRCL hopes to open this section by August-end to connect Whitefield with the Central Business District (CBD) and the western suburbs.