CR revives bridge on Wardha river while maintaining train operations

Nagpur: The Central Railway, Nagpur Division, has successfully rehabilitated a bridge over the Wardha river on the Wardha–Badnera section by replacing the bottom bearing plates and rehabilitating the bed block surface under live traffic operations."The work marks a pioneering achievement for Central Railway and demonstrates the division's technical proficiency and dedication to safety and infrastructure enhancement," said Aman Mittal, senior divisional commercial manager (SrDCM).For the past two years, the 12 by 18.30 metres bridge was under the overall rating number (ORN-2) category, which, as per the railway norms, means it required rebuilding on a programmed basis.The key activities to revive the bridge included the removal of old, damaged bearing plates to replace them with new ones, rehabilitation of the bed block surface using high-strength epoxy mortar, and levelling techniques."The old bottom bearing plates had bent and sunk into the mortar surface. Work was carried out to replace 48 bottom bearing plates and rehabilitating the bed block surface while maintaining train operations at a reduced speed of 30 km/h," said Mittal.Officials said synchronized jacks were used to lift girders and insert new bearings. The entire work was completed during short, 120-minute blocks."The successful execution of this work under live traffic, without causing major disruptions to train services, showcases the exceptional technical expertise and coordination within the Central Railway team. This rehabilitation is part of the ongoing endeavours to improve the structural integrity of railway infrastructure, ensuring the safety and punctuality of train services," said DRM Manish Agarwal.