Metro is safe, BMRCL seeks to reassure commuters

In the wake of questions raised over the safety of Metro viaducts and pillars, the BMRCL on Tuesday sought to reassure that travelling in the Metro was safe, and required measures have been followed during infrastructure construction according to the design standards.

Last week, Metro services were affected near Trinity Metro Station after officials found honeycombing (a technical term for voids in concrete that will render a structure weak) in a cross beam at one of the pillars near the Trinity Metro Station. When asked about similar problems in other pillars, BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth said inspections were being conducted, and they have not found the problem at other places.

“We have found that other reaches in Phase 1 do not have the particular design employed at Trinity Metro Station, which is limited to Reach 1 (MG Road to Byappanahalli). However, inspections are being done there as well,” he said.

Additionally, the BMRCL sent out a release stating that the Metro construction has followed all the standard norms, and implemented the suggestions of a task force set by the state government in 2009 for ensuring quality in public constructions.

After inspecting the casting yard of Navayuga Engineering and IVRCL, the task force had suggested improving curing methods for concrete
segments constructed manually. “For the segment already cast, the suitable method has to be evolved to assess the real strength. The committee pointed out the rusting of reinforcement bars and suggested for de-resting,” the release said, adding that the BMRCL complied with the observations on December 1, 2009.