Pune-Mumbai ghat section up line bridge extension work to be completed by mid-Jan: CR
The Central Railway will complete work on the extension of a 35-year-old bridge, by mid-January, an official said on Tuesday
Pune-Mumbai commuters will have to wait till mid-January next year for the normalisation of rail traffic between the two cities as the up line will remain closed owing to the restoration work on a bridge between Monkey Hill and Nagnath in the ghat section of the route.
The Central Railway will complete work on the extension of a 35-year-old bridge, by mid-January, an official said on Tuesday.
On October 3, a Central Railway (CR) team had found that heavy rains had damaged the 28-km-long section between Lonavla and Karjat, putting trains plying on the bridge at risk. The approximate budget for the repair work is Rs 10 crore and the work will be completed by January 15, 2020, according to officials.
On Tuesday, when HT visited the site, there was no approach road to the spot and labourers were working in risky conditions. The construction material is brought to the spot through rail route. Aushotosh Gupta, additional divisional railway manager (infrastructure), Mumbai and Shivaji Sutar, Central Railway’s chief public relations officer were present.
“Work on the extension of the bridge has been undertaken on war footing and will be completed by mid-January next year. Authorities have cancelled the operations of two main trains for over a month, while partially suspending five other trains, as a result of which travel on the Pune-Mumbai route has become difficult. After consulting engineers of Konkan Railway and IIT Bombay, the CR decided to extend the length of bridge from its original length of 150 metres to 195 metres,” said Sutar
According to Sutar, after expert consultation, the Central Railway authorities had two options, one was to fill up the damaged part and run trains temporarily at slow speed, the second was a permanent solution wherein girders would be launched so that such damages are avoided in the next monsoon season.
“Accordingly, two girders will be launched at the spot — one of 20 metres and the other of 25 metres. To do the work, first we constructed a 25-metre gabion wall. The final abutment work will be done, on top of which, girders will be launched. We will finish the work by January 15, 2020, post which the trains that have been terminated will be restored,” added Sutar.
Talking about the risky working conditions, Gupta said, “It is very difficult to work here as there is less space for workers to stand and bring heavy machinery.”
According to Gupta, till now, 350 trucks of rock, 150 trucks of quarry dust and 80 tonne reinforcement have been brought. The girders will weigh 100 tonne and will be brought in pieces and assembled at the spot.
“The area received monsoon rains till November 5 and hence the work progress was slow. Around 40 workers are working round the clock to ensure the project is completed within deadline. We also have a team of medical doctors present on site, in case of any injury or mishap,” said Gupta.