Western Railway has successfully undertaken various infrastructural upgradation and augmentation works for the convenience of passengers. In continuation to this, a new Foot Over Bridge (FOB) will be commissioned at Bhayander station in the Mumbai Suburban section for the convenience as well as safety of passengers. It is noteworthy to mention that this Foot Over Bridge is completely made of stainless steel and is the first of its kind over Western Railway.
According to Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway, the new Foot Over Bridge at Bhayander railway station (South End) is the first Stainless Steel FOB over Western Railway constructed with latest Structural material, innovative design which incorporates wider and easier slopes of stairs, making it easy to climb. The FOB is approx. 65 m long and 10 m wide. This FOB will be opened for railway commuters from Friday, 3rd June, 2022.
Giving further details, Thakur stated that the RDSO approved stainless steel FOB has been constructed with IRSM-44-M Grade Stainless Steel which is suitable for coastal area infrastructure projects. The main advantages of Stainless Steel are Corrosion resistance; Strength and Durability; Design Flexibility; Sustainable as it helps in reduction of Carbon footprint and significant reduction in weight of structure. The stainless steel used has 10-12 per cent chromium, a key ingredient in fighting and reducing corrosion. Being on coastal area, the corrosion on Mild Steel (MS) FOBs is rampant and all Mild Steel FOB’s need regular maintenance due to heavy corrosive environment. For Stainless Steel FOB, although the initial cost of Stainless Steel FOB is approx. 10% higher as compared to normal MS FOB, the overall maintenance cost becomes approx. 40% cheaper considering the life span of 60 years. Also, the new Stainless Steel FOB is designed for negligible maintenance during the service life, lower life cycle cost and low carbon footprint. The weight saving of Structural steel in case of Stainless Steel is approx. 30% compare to Mild Steel Convectional Design. In its commitment to a more comfortable experience for passengers, the innovative design has been adopted where slope of stair case has been reduced by approx. 4 Degrees, making it easy and comfortable to climb.
Thakur stated that safety of passengers has been accorded top priority and the works of FOBs, ROBs, etc. are being carried out at a fast pace. These efforts will go a long way to control the menace of trespassing as well as combat the problems such as overcrowding on bridges, etc.
