Central Railway starts demolition of Carnac bridge

The Central Railway (CR) on Friday began to dismantle the British-era Carnac bridge, which runs over the railway tracks between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Masjid stations

The Central Railway (CR) on Friday began to dismantle the British-era Carnac bridge, which runs over the railway tracks between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Masjid stations. The phase-wise demolition will take three months to complete, officials said.

Workers dismantling Carnac bridge on Friday Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo

“Keeping in mind the operation of suburban trains, the CR has decided to dismantle the bridge during the usual night and Sunday mega blocks. A 30-hour mega block has been planned in the third month during which the steel structure will be removed using cranes.” Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer, CR, said.

In the first two months, parapet, vertical columns along parapet and the concrete of corroded trough will be pulled down, and the advance cutting will begin. The girders will be removed during the 30-hour mega block.

According to railway officials, a strong coordination will be required as there are long-distance and local trains on this route. “We have many long-distance trains scheduled at night time. Hence, the schedule of the night blocks while razing the structure also needs to be taken into consideration,” a senior official said.

The over 150-year-old bridge, which was built in 1866-67, was declared unsafe by experts from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2018. The bridge had been shut for heavy vehicles since August 2014. The closure of the bridge will lead to traffic snarls in the area.