Orange Line’s Metropolitan work ends a month ahead of deadline
Times of India | 14 August 2024
Kolkata: RVNL has completed construction of the Orange Line’s last two piers at Metropolitan 30 days before the traffic block ends on Sep 13. Now, a viaduct will be constructed atop the piers and the 125m gap at this site on EM Bypass filled up. The agency aims to complete the 8km extension beyond Ruby to Sector V this Dec.
On June 8, TOI had reported: “RVNL set to bridge 125m viaduct gap on New Faria-Airport line”, as cops initiated a five-day traffic trial before handing over the site to facilitate completion of the two portal (two-legged) piers.The trials continued to a traffic block and on June 13, Kolkata Police’s traffic department gave Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which is implementing the New Garia-Airport or the Orange Line, a 90-day traffic block.
On Wednesday, RVNL is due to hand back the site for normal traffic movement as the portal pier construction is now over. The agency had been seeking the site for the last six years to bridge the 125m gap at Metropolitan on EM Bypass. Over the years, it has widened both flanks and built a culvert to create extra road space for vehicles to pass while the thoroughfare is cordoned off for the Metro construction. The 29km Orange line now runs a truncated 5.4km New Garia-Ruby section. It will eventually link the city’s southern suburbs with the airport.
The notification on the 90-day traffic block for construction of portal piers 288 and 289 issued on June 13 read, “Any delay in executing the work will invite a penalty of Rs 50,000 per day after expiry of the permitted period of NOC.” Talking to TOI on Tuesday, a railways official said, “We understand how crucial this stretch of the EM Bypass is. Therefore, we have tried our best to hasten the work. Now we have completed the work 30 days ahead of schedule.” RVNL has written to the traffic department that the staging around the portal beams will be removed by Wednesday (Aug 14) and the site would be freed for traffic movement.
Portal piers are two-beamed pillars built to support curves of the viaduct (the concrete on which tracks are laid). Only one of the two beams of piers 288 and 289 were built when RVNL was given a traffic block in April 2023. RVNL was clamouring for the Metropolitan site to complete the half-done piers without which the discontinuity of the viaduct couldn’t be addressed. In Aug 2023, using another traffic block, RVNL constructed piers 286 and 287.