Hyderabad: L&T denies metro related concerns; issues clarification

Hyderabad: Larsen and Turbo (L&T) spokesperson for the Hyderabad metro rail on Tuesday denied a report published in a vernacular newspaper that the metro was “making sound and peeling off”.

“As per L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail’s SOP, we do regular preventive maintenance work for all the civil structures including viaduct parapets across the metro rail network. During these preventive measures, wherever any superficial hairline cracks are noticed, which is a common phenomenon for areas subjected to continuous vibrations, we rectify them immediately by applying an epoxy coating for protection from weather and as a proactive measure towards the safety of the public,” said the statement issued by L&T.

L&T further said that the contextualized photographs shown in the article are incorrect and misleading in nature, as they are in fact those of post rectification work process for hairline cracks, and not any cement peeling off as claimed in the story.

The statement further read, “Regarding noises, Hyderabad Metro Rail is the only metro in the country, to have such a unique alignment with many sharp curves and steep gradients due to the topography of Hyderabad city. Under these circumstances, rail and wheel metal interaction creates more vibrations and screeching sounds, compared to straight-line metros. To address this issue, regular monitoring of the structure is done as part of the SOP, which also includes continuous/frequent track lubrication to reduce both vibration and noise levels.”

“We also monitor the noise levels regularly and the values are kept well within the permissible limits,” L&T added.