Elphinstone dismantling halted over crane glitch

Mumbai: Western Railway on Saturday night called off a planned megablock for dismantling 2 32-metre-long girders of the Elphinstone Road overbridge at Prabhadevi after a mechanical failure in the heavy-lift crane deployed for the operation. Officials said the 800 MT crane stationed at the site suffered a hydraulic pipe burst, forcing the de-launching exercise to be halted before work could proceed.No injuries or damage were reported in the incident.The 4.5-hour block was scheduled from 1.30 am to 6 am on Sunday to facilitate removal of a girder from the Prabhadevi Road Overbridge, part of the ongoing dismantling of the old structure to make way for a new double-decker bridge project outside the railway corridor.Western Railway said the work will now be undertaken next week. Multiple suburban train services that were to be cancelled during the block period were restored after the operation was withdrawn, sources said.The Elphinstone bridge in Mumbai is being demolished, with major work beginning in September 2025, to make way for the new 4.5 km double-decker Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector. The demolition causes significant traffic, pedestrian, and rail traffic disruptions between Parel and Prabhadevi, with completion of the new project anticipated before year end, sources added.