Railway to finish reconstruction of Bhor Ghat bridge between Mumbai, Pune in one week

The railways is now working on track construction and other overhead electrical fittings.

Services between Mumbai and Pune were disrupted after heavy rain in October damaged the approach to the bridge between Lonavala and Karjat.

A report by IIT Bombay had shown that the valley was adversely affected, following which the CR began reconstruction of the bridge. The 43-m bridge, a crucial connector of two tunnels, was broken into two small spans of 17 m and 25 m each.

A report by IIT Bombay had shown that the valley was adversely affected, following which the CR began reconstruction of the bridge.

A senior official from the CR said, “We brought a crane and assembled it on the site, using which we launched the two spans.”

The location of the work site also posed a massive challenge, as the concrete required for micro-piling to make a firm base could not be made at the site.

“We tied up with a company that supplied mixed concrete to prolong the settling time,” the official said.

Along with these measures, about 200 labourers were living at the site. The tracks will be commissioned with preliminary sanctions and will not require a clearance from the commissioner of railway safety, who has approved the basic design of the bridge. As the work is completed, inter-city train and shuttle services between Mumbai and Pune will be restored to normal, along with other long-distance trains, which are presently short terminated.

These services had to be halted as the up line (towards Mumbai) was shut, which reduced the capacity of the section that has three lines.

The work site, located over a 50 m deep valley about 147 km away from Mumbai, posed a challenge, as it has no road access. Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer of the CR, said, “We are hopeful to complete the work soon, following which the services will be restored. The work is on at a good pace.”