For safer travel, WR to replace girders at Churchgate-Virar
The 44 steel girders will be replaced with concrete ones which are more durable and corrosion resistant
To enhance the safety of travellers, while ferrying them in a seamless manner, the Western Railway (WR) has launched the mega project of replacing as many as 44 steel girders with more durable concrete ones on the bridges and culverts, starting right from Churchgate to the farthest end of Virar.
The project, planned to be carried out in a phase-wise manner, assumes further significance for the Mumbai suburban section where steel girders need more maintenance as it’s a coastal zone.
Explaining about the proposed works, a WR official said, “We have 293 bridges and major culverts between Churchgate and Virar. Of this, 44 bridges currently have steel girders. All these will be fitted with concrete girders in a phased manner till December 2023 ."
Talking about the disadvantages of existing girders, WR chief PRO, Sumit Thakur, said, “Steel girders are prone to constant corrosion and deterioration due to the proximity to the sea and the humid weather. This reduces the codal life of such steel bridges. Thus to enhance safety, the steel girders have been replaced with PSC girders. The PSC girders will ensure durability and can withstand all kinds of weather, thereby ensuring safer and speedier train operations.”
Elaborating the benefits of concrete girders, rail officials underscored, "Concrete girders are more heavy and hence able to accommodate the crushing load of the running train in a better way as compared to their steel counterparts. Once replaced with concrete girders, the passengers will also feel less jerk when their train crosses bridges.”
When asked about the cost of these concrete girders, they said, "It's difficult to tell the cost of each girder because they are manufactured in bulk as per need. But, the maintenance cost of concrete girders is very less so it can be safely presumed that the cost of concrete girders are less than traditional steel ones.”
A WR official, who is monitoring the project, also described the impediments in the speedy culmination of the project. "Working in the Mumbai suburban section is not an easy job as trains are running with a gap of 4-5 minutes. For changing the girders, we need complete stoppage of train movement in particular sections. The arduous task needs coordination with all departments of railway, especially the operations department".
"We are trying our best to complete the project with minimum disturbance in train operations. Even the blocks for the works will be planned accordingly. Most blocks will be undertaken at night for convenience of suburban commuters," apprised the official.
Recently, the WR has successfully completed the regirdering work of one of its major bridges located near Jogeshwari station. The herculean task was completed following a nine hours jumbo block on the slow harbour line, while it took seven hours jumbo block to complete the work on fast line.