CR to replace 13 FOBs

Of these, three are British-era bridges that have completed their lifespans
The Central Railway has decided to replace 13 old foot overbridges (FOBs), including three from the British era, that were declared ‘unsafe’ by IIT Bombay during the structural audit in 2019.
“Keeping in mind the audit report of IIT Bombay, the Central Railway has taken immediate action about emergency repairs of these bridges.All FOBs are in safe condition now. But considering future apprehension and safety of passengers, it has been decided to replace all these public foot overbridges,” said a senior officer of CR.
The officer said that the repair or replacement of all these public foot overbridges situated in the suburban section of Central Railway is being taken up by the CR, and the funding would be provided by the municipal corporation.

These FOBs are required to be replaced as most of them have outlived their life. In 2019, railways had requested the BMC to deposit funds for the reconstruction of 13 BMC foot over bridges over the railway track. The BMC has deposited Rs 10 crore as the initial amount and has requested it to take up the reconstruction work. The CR has, however, requested the chief engineer of BMC for additional funds, saying the funds given by it are not sufficient to start the work.
The source said that the railways needs Rs 135 crore to start the reconstruction work of these foot over bridges. “The railways has started the preparation of general arrangement drawings of seven FOBs. After we get the drawing approvals, and the BMC provides us with the additional funds, the physical work will be taken up at the sites. The BMC officials have told us that they will look into the request for additional funds,” said another CR officer.
Asked about the present condition of these foot over bridges, the official said necessary maintenance work of all these foot overbridges has already been completed as per the suggestions of the IIT audit report, but those, which have already completed their life spans, need to be replaced soon.
Gunpowder foot over bridge is one of them which was built in 1923. This foot over bridge is located between Dockyard and Reay Road stations. Apart from that, the replacement of the Bhandari foot overbridge, located between CSMT and Masjid, has also been recommended by the IIT. This foot overbridge was built in 1915.
Similarly, the north-end foot over bridge at Masjid station, which was built in 1922, also needs to be replaced.
The BMC is looking into the matter, Satish Thosar, chief engineer bridges, said, when asked about the replacement of the bridges that have completed their lifespans.
After the partial collapse of the pathway of a road overbridge at the Andheri station on July 3, 2018, the then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had ordered a safety audit of all the 445 bridge structures in Mumbai, including road over bridges, foot over bridges and bridges adjacent to railway tracks. The audit was conducted by IIT-B along with officials from CR, WR, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and other civic body officials.