Carnac Bridge demolished in less than stipulated time

Mumbai The Central Railway demolished the Carnac Bunder bridge, situated between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Masjid Bunder, in less than the stipulated time on Sunday

Mumbai The Central Railway demolished the Carnac Bunder bridge, situated between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Masjid Bunder, in less than the stipulated time on Sunday.

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The block that was scheduled to have been completed at 8pm for central and harbour line, saw the first train roll out on central line at 4pm and harbour line at 6pm. CR had planned a 27-hour block, 21 hours for Central and Harbour lines and the rest for yard lines and related maintenance.

Pulling down the 150-year-old bridge with huge steel girders was a mammoth task. “Immediately after the first cut was made on the bridge, the workers came together to cut the seven spans on the bridge into 44 pieces. Each piece was lifted at a time. It took 50 gas cutters and four cranes during the process,” said a senior officer from CR.

“Extensive preparatory work, meticulous planning and co-ordination with civic bodies enabled us to complete this enormous task ahead of schedule,” Central Railway general manager Anil Kumar Lahoti said.

“Deployment of multiple large-capacity cranes and other machinery with extensive manpower of over 500 facilitated expeditious completion of the assignment. Maintenance work of track, overhead equipment and signalling in shadow block saved Railways about 900 hours of future block period,” Lahoti added.

Moreover, sufficient staff from Railway Protection Force, including their scouts and guides, and Mumbai Police took part in crowd management at stations like Dadar, Byculla and Wadala.

“Although we were intimated well in advance about our train leaving from Dadar instead of CSMT, Dadar was very crowded and with the luggage in hand it was a task to reach platform despite reaching the station one hour before scheduled departure. As many trains were short terminated or originated from Dadar it was a bit crowded than usual,” said Hari Atreya, 44, who traveling on Mumbai Hyderabad express on Sunday.

BEST had pressed in additional 47 services at various locations for the convenience of passengers. “The train did not go beyond Byculla station. We were on our way to Gateway of India. We stepped out to notice many buses to various locations and staff waiting to guide passengers,” said Shravani Mule, 52, travelling from Dombivli to Gateway of India on Sunday.

With the demolition of the bridge, regular commuters will have to use alternative traffic routes. This is one of the most important links in South Mumbai that connects with the business district. The traffic that comes from Eastern Freeway to Crawford Market and Kalbadevi will be diverted to Yusuf Meheralli Road and Mohammed Ali Road. The oncoming traffic from Metro junction going to Eastern Freeway will also be diverted to these roads.

Traders frequently using the bridge to reach Crawford Market or Kalbadevi will be affected the most. Mitesh Mody, central president, All India Electronics Association, said, “It takes an additional 45 minutes to reach South Mumbai during peak hours. There are many traders and clients who frequent this route on a daily basis, this has led to frequent traffic on the Fort to Mohammed Ali Road stretch.”