Mumbai: Western Railways to use tower wagons to inspect 29 road overbridges

After a part of GK Gokhale bridge at Andheri station collapsed on June 28, Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had asked the railways to inspect 445 bridges on the suburban section. (Express Photo) 

To ensure inspection of 29 road overbridges (ROB) on the suburban section is completed in 15 days, the Western Railway (WR) will use tower wagons instead of ladders. This, according to the Railways, will save 50 per cent of the usual time taken to inspect bridges. After a part of GK Gokhale bridge at Andheri station collapsed on June 28, Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had asked the railways to inspect 445 bridges on the suburban section. Since they started Friday, the railways have inspected two bridges in the suburban section.

“In the conventional method, a big ladder is required for inspection. The staff brings it from the Bridge Unit Office in Lower Parel to the required station. The ladder needs to be shifted manually from the station to the inspection site. During the block time, the ladder is placed on the structure to be inspected and the team climbs on it one by one. Only one person can stand on the ladder at a time, which consumes a lot of time,” a senior WR official said.

“For inspection of each girder, they need to shift the ladder, which is a tedious process. The conventional method makes the task difficult for the staff as they have to carry the equipment while climbing on the long ladder. Inspection with a tower wagon allows the whole team to climb along with the tools and machinery and perform the required task simultaneously. During the inspection, if any urgent repair is needed, it can be done immediately,” the railway official added.

The WR has inspected Mahalaxmi and Bandra Road overbridges using this method till Saturday. Each of the bridges was inspected in two hours as opposed to four hours required under the conventional method.

“We are focusing on safety of seven cantilever bridges. Covering inspection of road overbridges is a priority within 15 days. We have found surface construction, including cable wires in some of these bridges and we will ask the corporation to remove them at the earliest,” a senior railway official said. Other 110 foot overbridges and four water pipeline bridges on the WR suburban section will also be inspected.