Army inspects station, railway officials list likely hurdles in meeting January deadline

Taking into account the January 2018 deadline, railway officials feel mega blocks may be needed on the suburban services to carry out the work. “It is difficult for the Army to carry out the construction when railway traffic is on. A mega block will be needed. If the work continues simultaneously on all three bridges, planning mega blocks could be difficult,” a senior railway official said.

The decision to carry out the construction of the FOBs on a war footing was announced on Tuesday when Fadnavis visited the Elphinstone Road station along with Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The move comes a month after 23 people were killed in a stampede on the FOB connecting Elphinstone Road on the Western Railway with Parel on the Central Railway on September 29.

The Army conducted a recce of the station premises at Parel on Wednesday, senior railway officials confirmed. Railway officials said a site inspection was done by Army officials to understand the details of the station building.

“A memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be signed between the railways and the Army before the work begins. The work is likely to start on Parel bridge first,” a senior railway official added.

The Army had surveyed the railway stations in the city to understand which stations are in urgent need of FOBs. While five locations were finalised, the decision to carry out the work at three was given priority, railway officials said.

Narendra Vispute, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, said, “We are yet to figure out the requirement of manpower and material to make the bridges. Armed forces from Pune cantonment and Delhi could be roped in.”

Railway officials have also raised concern over the maintenance of the bridges once they are built. “If they are going to be made for a temporary period, then maintenance of these bridges would be the biggest issue,” a railway official said.