Chennai: Girder Slips During MRTS Work, None Injured, Says Southern Railway

On MRTS bridge collapse, Southern Railways said a girder was in process of being launched using hydraulic jacks when it inadvertently fell on one end of road due to a failure in lifting jack properly.

A girder being erected slipped and fell at a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) work site in Chennai on Thursday. The incident occurred during the construction of an additional Mass Rapid Transit System line between Velachery and St. Thomas Mount near Adambakkam. In the incident, no injuries were reported. 

"In connection with multi-tracking of the MRTS railway line between Velachery and St.Thomas Mount, the work of launching of concrete girders was in progress...while launching the 40-meter long girder over the elevated alignment near Thillai Ganga Nagar, by using synchronised hydraulic jacks, the girder slipped down on one end due to failure of lifting jack on that side," an official release said.

The work was being conducted after diverting road traffic, with necessary precautions in place, ensuring that no person was injured and no damage occurred to any property, said the release. The railway administration is actively engaged in clearing the fallen girder. An inquiry has been initiated to investigate the matter, Southern Railways said, as per a report on PTI.

However, the incident caused vehicular traffic delays for a while. After examining other structures along the stretch, the police restored normalcy to the situation, ensuring that any potential untoward incidents were prevented.

The final phase of the MRTS project started in 2008 experienced prolonged delays attributed to challenges in land acquisition, specifically on the 500-meter stretch between Adambakkam and St Thomas Mount. After overcoming various legal obstacles, work recommenced three years ago, and recently, box girders were deployed.

According to the Southern Railway, a girder was in the process of being launched near Thillai Ganga Nagar using hydraulic jacks when it inadvertently fell on one end of the road due to a failure in lifting the jack properly. Subsequently, the girder was safely lowered using synchronized hydraulic jacks, as reported on Times of India.