Trial Runs Begin on Chennai Metro’s Little Mount – AG-DMS Section

Engineers from Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) yesterday afternoon began trial runs (testing) on a 4.5 km underground section of Chennai Metro’s 32.10 km Line-1 between Little Mount and AG-DMS stations. This development comes about 9 months after they ran a diesel-powered overhead electrification (OHE) inspection wagon through it.

CMRL’s engineers manually operated an Altom Metropolis train at a speed of 5 kmph from the elevated Little Mount Station into the down-line underground tunnel via the Saidapet Ramp, and primarily observed the train’s interaction with the civil structure to ensure there are no physical obstructions along the way. In the coming months, various subsystems like the signalling system, also provided by Alstom, will be tested. The train’s response to being operated at different speeds & braking will also be monitored along with the behavior of the track system and Over Head Electrification (OHE) system.

This 4.5 km section of 54.1 km Phase 1 project includes the 4 km UAA-03 underground package with 4 stations at Saidapet, Nandanam, Teynampet and AG-DMS which were built primarily by the Gammon – Mosmetrostroy JV and abandoned in May 2015 right before the package’s last 2 TBM breakthroughs. Afcons Infrastructure was roped in by the CMRL to perform the section’s final TBM breakthrough in September 2015, and around the same time CMRL awarded a contract to Larsen & Toubro for completing all pending civil work at the 4 stations.

Little Mount – AG-DMS section of Chennai Metro – view Chennai Metro Phase 1 map & info

Some images –

Shot from the operator’s cabin – Photo Copyright: CMRL via Sangeetha Kandavel

Stop-over at Saidapet Station – Photo Copyright: CMRL via Sangeetha Kandavel

Update – Here’s a video:

Video: An @AlstomIndia train running through #Chennai Metro Line-1’s down-line tunnel between Saidapet & AG-DMS for the very 1st time ? pic.twitter.com/CwoHchxCXx

— The Metro Rail Guy (@TheMetroRailGuy) March 13, 2018

CMRL plans to commission this section in May 2018, but that really depends on if testing is completed as planned and if interior finishing works are over. Here are some images of Saidapet Station shot in February during the state Minister for Industries’ visit –

Concourse level – Photo Copyright: CMRL

Photo Copyright: CMRL

Platform level – Photo Copyright: CMRL

One of Saidapet Station’s entrances shot on March 12 – Photo Copyright: Shrinath Balaji

Some videos of Saidapet, Nandanam and Teynampet stations’ entrances shot in February by a Twitter follower can be viewed here.

For more updates, check out the Chennai section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG