Bengaluru Metro's First Open Web Steel Girder To Cross Railway Tracks Near Byappanahalli

On Friday, Namma Metro's first open web girder (OWG) will cross over the Indian Railways track at Benniganahalli, near Byappanahalli in east Bengaluru.

The construction of an open-web girder is part of the Namma Metro Phase II extended metro line from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), in collaboration with contractor ITD Cem JV, is carrying out the work. BMRCL is launching a 550-tonne, 65-metre-long OWG in the city for the first time.

"This is a complex and challenging task. We had also erected a temporary structure across the railway span to facilitate the crossover. Railway officials and experts have also completed torqueing inspection of the structure,” the official said, reports Times Of India.

BMRCL has begun trial runs of the 15-kilometre metro line from K.R. Puram to Whitefield. The trial runs from Byappanahalli to K.R. Puram and will take place only after the open web girder has been erected, followed by the placement of tracks and signalling equipment.

Previously, BMRCL had various challenges while working on Phase II. One of them was a significant increase in steel costs as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Phase II of the Baiyappanahlli-Whitefield line serves as a crucial link to one of Bengaluru's IT corridors. BMRCL has set a March 2023 target for the line between K.R. Puram and Whitefield, and a mid-2023 deadline for the line between Baiyappanahalli and K.R. Puram.

In the first few years of operation, the entire line is expected to benefit three lakh commuters. 

The girder is a steel structure that is built and installed over the span (horizontal structure between the piers). It stands 14 metres above the railway tracks. 

Anything more than 8 metres above the railway tracks is safe, and there will be no problems when trains run in the future, according to BMRCL officials.

To construct this girder, over 500 tonnes of steel were brought from Bhilai. 

The process of erecting an open web steel girder running to 65 metres, began on 10 December. 

BMRCL started work after getting clearance from South Western Railway (SWR). Additional Divisional Railway Manager of SWR Kusuma Hariprasad said that work related to the metro is permitted as per the guidelines laid down by the Indian Railway Schedule of Dimensions and AC Traction Manual. 

During Phase I of the project, BMRCL built its structure over the railway line near Malleswaram. "It was a 60-metre concrete building built on the site," the BMRCL official stated.