Metro mishap delays dry runs

Deadlines for the city's infrastructure projects have acquired a flagrant flexibility. For instance, the trial runs on the Rs 2,356-crore Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) metro rail project, which were expected to start this month, have now been postponed following a mishap earlier this month in Andheri. Work along the entire 11.07-km route was stopped immediately after in order to conduct a safety audit.

u00a0Speaking to MiD DAY, an MMRDA official requesting anonymity said, "In the next two weeks we will be preparing a fresh schedule for the trial runs." According to the sources the test runs may start in the third week of October. "In the beginning track testing will be done along with examination of brakes and signalling system," the official said.

u00a0The safety audit, which is ongoing, is expected to be over by the end of this month and only then will work begin on the corridor. It should also be noted that in August, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) - the contractor for the project - had done some test runs at its DN Nagar car depot. When the actual tryouts begin, runs will be conducted on a 2-km stretch between the car depot and the Indian Oil junction.