Mum-Pune railway bridge expansion picks up speed

The Central Railway (CR) has begun expansion of a railway bridge between Monkey Hill and Nagnath in its south-east ghat section, to ensure the Mumbai-Pune train

The Central Railway (CR) has begun expansion of a railway bridge between Monkey Hill and Nagnath in its south-east ghat section, to ensure the Mumbai-Pune train services resume according to the old schedule. It is expected to be complete by mid-January 2020.

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Of the three railway lines on the Mumbai-Pune route, two are currently functional. The railway line towards Mumbai has been suspended since October owing to the heavy rain.

The 140-metre-long bridge, built in 1984, will get a 43-metre extension at a cost of ₹10 crore, . The CR will also increase bridge spans. “A gabion wall on the edge of the hill was constructed in order to prevent slipping of soil. We have started microtunneling work; once it is complete, railway tracks will be laid,” said Ashutosh Gupta, additional division railway manager, CR. “JCB machines, concrete material and boulders are placed inside special bogies and then transported,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relation officer, CR.