Railway fast tracks ₹137-cr Bridge on Yamuna

Troubled by speed restrictions of 30-km/hr and stoppage of rail traffic during the floods, Northern Railway in a latest move has decided to expedite work on the New Yamuna Bridge, which is being built parallel to the old one (Loha Pul), at an investment of ₹137 crore, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi division, S C Jain, said. The initial deadline for the new bridge, which passes through Salimgarh Fort, is December 2020, but in view of the pressing situation the railway is looking to complete the construction much before the deadline. The portion directly over the river is taking time as the rocks on the riverbed takes time to smoothen. The official sources said the construction work would resume once the flood levels receded. Northern Railway had imposed a speed limit of 20km/hr on the Loha Pul, but rail operations were completely halted once the Yamuna water level crossed the 206.4 metre mark. To complete the new bridge, a state-of-the-art workshop has also been set up near Pragati Maidan for fabrication of 26 steel girders, weighing 6,000 metric tons. Half the girders, officials said, have already been fabricated and simply needs to be installed on the site. After the new bridge is inaugurated, trains will be shifted to it, while road traffic will continue to run on the Loha Pul.