2 girders of Elphinstone bridge dismantled during night blocks, railways aim to avoid long shutdown

Activity began beneath the Elphinstone bridge. (Express Photo by Akash Patil)

Working around overhead power lines

Teams from MahaRail and its contractor Space Chem Engineers Pvt Ltd focused on cutting the girder ends, while Western Railway staff worked simultaneously on overhead electrical wires below. Officials said the limited clearance between the bridge and the overhead equipment added to the challenge.

“What makes the task of dismantling the bridge more challenging and lengthy was that the distance between the bridge and the top overhead wire, also called the catenary wire which holds the bottom contact wire in place, is not enough. Hence, the top wire was interconnected and looped with the bridge,” the engineer said. “As a solution, just as we’re working on the dismantling of the bridge, WR is fixing up the OHE.”

By 2.30 am, most of the girder had been cut and was supported by a crane positioned 15 metres above the tracks. Weight transfer was gradually increased as instructions were relayed over walkie talkies.

At around 2.50 am, a final push detached the girder, leaving it suspended in mid-air. Claps and cheers followed as workers guided the metal span using ropes, rotating it ninety degrees to align with the tracks. Within minutes, the girder was moved out of the railway area and placed outside the premises.

Around ninety minutes after the block began, the girder was fully removed. Western Railway teams then restored the overhead equipment, allowing the block to end at 4.05 am and train services to resume by 4.30 am.

The removal marks the completion of bridge dismantling over the slow tracks of the Western Railway, though significant portions of the structure remain.

Avoiding long railway shutdowns

The 112-year-old Elphinstone bridge was shut in September to make way for the Sewri-Worli connector, raising concerns about prolonged railway disruptions. By breaking demolition work into smaller night blocks, MRIDC hopes to avoid a full twelve-hour railway shutdown and complete the project by the end of February.

“Demolition of the bridge is going faster over the WR tracks, for which we’ve had 16 blocks till now,” the MRIDC engineer said. “Except for one eight-hour block in early January which did not go as planned, as there was not enough space for the crane to position itself amid commotion from nearby residents, two have been of 4 hours, and the rest shorter.”

Next phase of demolition

In the coming week, work on the Western Railway side will focus on cutting the removed girder into smaller sections, demolishing the abutment and clearing the shed at the west end to allow cranes to move forward. This will be followed by dismantling seven steel floor spans and two additional girders, requiring another 22 short railway blocks.

On the Central Railway side, 12 blocks have already been used, with nine more requested.

“Due to the complications with the OHE wires, our hope is to demonstrate to CR that it is possible to extract the girders bit by bit and have the railways carry out the OHE work simultaneously, as we managed to do on the WR. If they get on board with the plan, we may be able to forgo the need of the final 12-hour block and complete in short stints,” the engineer said.

Night blocks preferred over long blocks

A twelve-hour railway block would require approval from the Railway Board in Delhi and could take at least two weeks, significantly affecting local and long distance train services.

Officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority said most of the work is being carried out during regular night corridor blocks and week-end megablocks.

“MMRDA had demanded three railway blocks of 15 hours, but that was rejected due to the massive impact and loss,” an official said. “So now work is being carried out in the night blocks, with chunks being pre-cut, prepared, and lifted up when the city sleeps.”