Safety Audit for the Hyderabad Metro, India

Hyderabad, the capital city of the Andhra Pradesh state, has one of the fastest growing metros in India. The strategic geographical location of this multilingual cosmopolitan city as well as the pro-active policies of the state government are making of Hyberabad an attractive destination and a flourishing centre for trade and commerce. However without a comfortable and efficient public transportation system, traffic and transportation in Hyderabad become a matter of concern.

The existing public transport in the city is mainly constituted by buses, which are run by Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC). The rapid growth of the city, rising income levels and lack of a good public transport system have resulted in a huge increase in the number of private vehicles, with subsequent consequences such as frequent traffic jams and high pollution levels in the city.

Based on the figures from the Traffic and Transportation surveys carried out by various agencies, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has approved the development of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (MRTS) in three high density traffic corridors covering over 71 km:

• Corridor I: Miyapur - LB Nagar : 28.87kms; 27 stations.
• Corridor II: JBS - Falaknuma : 14.78 kms; 16 stations.
• Corridor III: Nagole - Shilparamam : 27.51 kms; 23 stations.

As part of this project Eptisa will undertake the safety audit of the designs and drawings, the Design Basis Reports (DBRs) and other documents prepared by the concessionaire, L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Ltd (L&TMRHL) and various consultants on safety aspects including the elevated viaduct (flyover-like structure accommodating the tracks), the rail alignment, stations and other elevated structures of the metro rail system.