CSIR - SERC conducts load testing of Velachery-St Thomas Mount MRTS
According to a press release from the Union government, the testing is being carried out in a phased manner, adhering to the guidelines stipulated by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Railways.
The testing of MRTS elevated structures under way from Velachery to St Thomas Mount
CHENNAI: After years of delay, the long-awaited Velachery–St Thomas Mount MRTS extension project is inching closer to reality, with the CSIR–Structural Engineering Research Centre (CSIR-SERC), Chennai, conducting instrumentation and load testing on selected spans of the elevated corridor on Friday.
A senior Southern Railway official told DT Next that the tests form part of the final safety checks for the structures. “All electrification and automatic signalling works have been completed. The next step is inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), for which the date is yet to be finalised. We expect operations to commence by next month or January,” the official said.
The Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Laboratory of CSIR-SERC is carrying out the instrumentation and load testing process of selected spans of the MRTS between Velachery and St Thomas Mount stations.
According to a press release from the Union government, the testing is being carried out in a phased manner, adhering to the guidelines stipulated by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Railways.
"Each selected span is instrumented with state-of-the-art sensors and high-speed data acquisition systems to accurately capture the structural response under different loading conditions. The programme includes both static and dynamic load tests, using a standard test train formation comprising a locomotive and loaded wagons. The measured responses are then projected to the design loads to ensure that the bridge meets all structural integrity and safety requirements," the release said.
This scientific and rigorous testing exercise will help confirm that the MRTS bridges are performing as intended and capable of safely carrying the operational loads for years to come, it added.
The field tests were coordinated and conducted in the presence of Voggu Srinivas, chief scientist and head, SHM Laboratory and the senior officials from Southern Railway.
The Velachery-St Thomas Mount MRTS extension was announced in 2008 by the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.