Western Railway

Churchgate

Mumbai

The FOB at Charni Road station is all set to be razed soon

commuters, brace for chaos. Facing blowback after the collapse of the CSMT foot overbridge (FOB) last month, the authorities have decided to dismantle 32 FOBs in the suburban railway network betweenand Virar over the next year.The scale of the exercise makes it the biggest such in recent times. However, it also means that for a good portion of this year, commuters will be inconvenienced. The Western Railway (WR) had first commissioned an audit of FOBs following the collapse of the Gokhale bridge’s walkway on July 3 last year, which claimed two lives. A fresh assessment of the structural stability of bridges was ordered after the CSMT FOB crashed on March 14, killing six persons. The audit recommended the dismantling of 32 bridges in phases. Two of these — in Santa Cruz and Jogeshwari—will only be partially razed.WR authorities said around 10 have already been dismantled or are in the process of being razed. Where there is space, replacements are being constructed simultaneously “Owing to space constraints, only a third of the locations can see simultaneous demolition and construction works. Reconstruction is ongoing at eight to 10 locations. Some of them were taken up following the July 3, 2018, crash,” said an official. As for the 22 other bridges, the process of issuing tenders for their demolition/construction is underway.Besides the 32 FOBs, 14 are scheduled to undergo major repairs, including strengthening of columns/staircases, in the same period. The staircases of 15 others will be completely replaced, and 18 more that are partially damaged will see repairs. The girders and columns of FOBs at Mira Road and Andheri will also be changed.Ravinder Bhakar, WR’s chief public relations officer, sought to dispel fears that closure of bridges for demolition will catch commuters unawares.“When we shut bridges, we warn commuters days in advance. We also depute RPF personnel to divert people to alternative routes and avoid inconvenience to them.”Passengers’ associations welcomed the move. “Initially, commuters will face inconveniences, but they must remember that it’s for their safety in the long run,” said Mansoor Umer Darvesh, secretary of thechapter of the Passengers and Traffic Relief Association. He suggested that the railways can seek the help of the Army, as it did with the construction of an FOB at Elphinstone Road following the tragic death of 23 people at the station on September 29, 2017.Ratan Poddar, member of the zonal railway users’ consultative council, said WR should ensure that arrangements for crowd management are made.Subodh Jain, former member (engineering) of the Railway Board, too, lauded the WR’s decision. “FOBs corrode faster in coastal cities since salt can break down the protective layering of metals. Hence, said all FOBs that are 50 years old should be replaced,” he said.