Work on one of the oldest rail projects’ that is the Belapur-Seawoods-Uran line just got a thrust earlier this weekend. On July 10-11 a 61-meter long girder was launched on the extension of this fourth corridor. Since 1997, work on the 27 kms long Belapur-Seawoods-Uran line is going on and in November 2018, the rail authorities partially opened the Belapur-Kharkopar fourth rail corridor.
This work was part of the mega block carried out across different stretches in Mumbai by the Central Railway which otherwise would have taken 578 man-hours. Earlier this weekend the engineers from CR launched a 61-meter long rail-over-rail bridge. This rail bridge meant for local trains has been laid over an existing rail lines on which goods trains to JNPT run.
“We completed work in three hours when there was no traffic movement. This was tough work. We had to use two cranes by the road-side, having capacity of 550 and 650 Metric Tonne for launching this bridge weighing 232 Metric Tonne,” said a CR official on condition of anonymity.
The CR authorities first started this project way back in 1997 after which the work went slow, until they opened a part of it till Kharkopar. Work on 14.60 kms is underway while the 13 kms long Belapur-Kharkopar line is operational. This rail bridge falls under the proposed Gawan and Ranjanpada stations and the CR have to acquire land of over 3-4 kms that is forest land.
The authorities have to complete work of constructing 5 stations, 2 major bridges, 41 minor bridges, 2 road under bridges and 2 road over bridges on Kharkopar-Uran route. This 27 kms long rail line will substantially help people travel all the way till Uran and JNPT by reducing travel time by 50 percent of what it takes by road travel now.
Various works at Ranjanpada, Nhava-Sheva, Dronagiri, Gawan and Uran stations that includes cover over platform, piling, sub-structure and u-girder are underway. The CR also carried out works ranging over 578 hours between Thane-Kalyan, CSMT-Kurla on Harbour line with help of 1231 labourers during this weekend. The rail authorities claim to have taken all precautions and Covid protocols while carrying out this work and other works as part of the mega block.
