INDIA. Mumbai: NCP MP Supriya Sule has alleged technical flaws in the construction work of the Vanaj-Garware segment of the Pune Metro Rail Network and has urged that the work be reassessed in view of the safety of lakhs of commuters travelling by the metro rail network.
In a tweet, Sule asked Brijesh Dixit, the Managing Director of Nagpur’s Maha Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), to look into the problems that some of the more experienced structural engineers have found. Her tweet is supported by a letter dated February 3 sent by four engineers to Dixit. The engineers have claimed that they worked on the Konkan and Hyderabad rail networks earlier.
The engineers Narayan Kochak, Shirish Khasbardar, Dr. Ketan Gokhale, and Vivek Gadgil have pointed out problems with how the work was done, how the materials were tested, and how good engineering practices were followed. Besides, the quality of the welding on all connections should be re-checked. They have also pointed out lapses in the quality control procedures adopted by MMRCL and have urged MMRCL to revisit Reach 1, Reach 2, and Reach 3 of the Pune Metro Rail Network.
On March 6, 2022, a 12-kilometer stretch of the Pune Metro was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The remaining 21 km are expected to be operational by March this year.
The corridors of the Pune Metro include the North-South Corridor from PCMC to Swargate (Purple Line): This corridor passes through the industrial area of Pimpri-Chinchwad and further into the old Peth areas of Pune city. The length of this corridor is 17.5 km, with 14 stations. Due to the extremely congested Shivaji Nagar and Old Peth areas, as well as the extremely narrow roads in most areas, a 6-kilometer section from Range Hills to Swargate is underground.
East-West Corridor from Vanaz to Ramwadi (Aqua Line): This fully elevated corridor starts from Vanaz Depot in the east and passes through the densely populated residential areas of Pune city. There are 16 metro stations in total, and the corridor is 15.7 kilometers long. This corridor also has a double-deck flyover with a length of 600 metres between Nal Stop and Abhinav Chowk.
Depots: Pune Metro has two maintenance depots for the upkeep of trains. The depot on the NS corridor at Range Hills is named Range Hills Car Depot, and the depot on the EW corridor at Vanaz is named Hill View Park Car Depot.
The Pune Metro Rail Project was sanctioned by the Union Government and Maharashtra Government in December 2016, and the foundation stone was laid by Modi on December 24, 2016. The project work commenced on May 3, 2017.
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