Steel ‘bird-cage’ ready to bridge Mumbra creek

Steel ‘bird-cage’ ready to bridge Mumbra creek

Here’s some good news. The tunnels are being made, the Thane bridge is nearly ready and now, the huge “bird-cage” steel structure of the Mumbra creek bridge is complete. The two new lines that are being built between Kurla and Kalyan will give Mumbai a dedicated four-track suburban railway corridor for the first time that will boost local train services on Central Railway (CR). Called so as they resemble a huge bird cage, the structures are being prepared 250-km away at the Manmad workshop of CR, only to be later transported by road to Mumbra, where they will be assembled. The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has now called for proposals to transport and ferry these bridges and put them up on the lines at the site. The railway lines between Kurla and Thane are complete and being extended to Kalyan between the Diva and Kalyan. For this, tunnels had to be dug out under the Parsik Hill, and two bridges — over the Thane and Mumbra creeks — had to be built. “While work on the tunnels and the Thane bridge are progressing, the steel structure of Mumbra creek bridge is ready. Of the two structures needed, one is ready while the other is on the verge of completion,” he said. This will not only increase railway services, but will also eliminate the existing complex network where the suburban and outstation trains run on the same lines. “Because of the large number of suburban services in the city, the Indian Railways has also limited the number of outstation trains entering Mumbai. Once we have two separate lines, Mumbai will be better connected by rail to all parts of the country,” a senior official said. The four exclusive lines for suburban trains will boost CR’s suburban services in a historic manner as there will not be any interference from outstation mail, express and goods trains. To be installed on the Mumbra creek bridge, the ‘bird-cage’ steel structure was made in CR’s Manmad workshop