New overbridge in Ghaziabad railway station set to open for trial run before Diwali

The new ROB is two-laned and not meant for heavy vehicles. It has a length of about 153 metres over the busy Delhi-Kanpur railway section and is constructed without pillars

The long wait for a rail overbridge (ROB) connecting Vijay Nagar to Ghaziabad city is finally over as the new 153-metre-long ROB will open up for trial run ahead of the Diwali festival. The new ROB is meant for two-wheelers and light vehicles such as cars and constructed over the Ghaziabad railway station.

Ghaziabad, India - October 17, 2022: A view of a flyover near Dhobi Ghat on Chaudhary Mor ahead of its inauguration, in Ghaziabad, India, on Monday, October 17, 2022. (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

The new ROB, popularly known as Dhobi Ghat ROB, will be a boon for thousands of commuters who have been demanding an overbridge connectivity between Vijay Nagar and Ghaziabad city. In the absence of the ROB, commuters travelled about six to seven kilometres additional distance to reach city areas from Vijay Nagar.

In the rainy season, the connectivity further deteriorates as the Gaushala underpass gets flooded, sources said.

“The work for the new ROB is almost complete and it will soon be opened for a trial run. The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has already paid ₹15 crore of its previous share of ₹40 crore to the railways. The completion cost of the project is about ₹110 crore and the authority will bear about 50% of the cost,” said Rakesh Kumar Gupta, GDA chief engineer.

Officials of the construction company said that the load testing on the new ROB is in progress and it will get opened for a trial run before Diwali.

“The trial run for the new ROB will start before Diwali and it will go on for about three weeks. During this period, two-wheelers and light vehicles will be able to ply on the overbridge. We will review the progress, driving conditions and traffic situation and may place height barriers, speed breakers, etc., wherever required,” said Suryansh Sharma, managing director of BS Construction, the company that has undertaken the ROB work.

The new ROB is two-laned and not meant for heavy vehicles. It has a length of about 153 metres over the busy Delhi-Kanpur railway section and is constructed without pillars.

“Vijay Nagar residents have been demanding an overbridge since 1982 and finally their wait is over. It is constructed entirely on steel spans weighing about 1,400 tonnes and has a load bearing capacity of 200 tonnes of weight,” Sharma added.

Residents said that in absence of the ROB, they moved to the city areas either through the congested Gaushala underpass or through the National Highway (NH) 9 and the newly-constructed Link Road.

“City areas seem almost unapproachable for Vijay Nagar residents. Daily commuters suffered a lot and wasted a lot of time in travelling. Now, with the new ROB, the travel time will be reduced and we will also save fuel. It will also act as a bypass for light vehicles for taking the NH-9 route,” said Tejesh Kumar, a Vijay Nagar resident.

The foundation stone for the new ROB was laid in June 2016, by Ghaziabad MP General VK Singh (retired) and then Union minister of state (railways) Manoj Sinha, while construction work began in January 2017.