Mumbai’s Delisle bridge dismantled, a part to be rebuilt

The reconstruction work has been made open to bids and is expected to begin in a few months.

After dismantling the 98-year-old Delisle road overbridge at Lower Parel station on Sunday, the Western Railway (WR) has planned to reconstruct the portion of the bridge running parallel to the railway tracks. The reconstruction work has been made open to bids and is expected to begin in a few months.

The Delisle bridge being dismantled on Sunday, during Western Railway’s 11-hour mega block. (HT photo)

Earlier during the day, a 11-hour block was taken by the WR to dismantle the bridge. The block, from 10pm on Saturday to 9am on Sunday, saw the main pillars and iron cross beams of the bridge dismantled.

A total of 851 WR workers, including 345 track maintainers and 506 contractual labourers were employed for the dismantling. “The dismantling of the bridge was undertaken properly during the block. Reconstruction will soon begin,” said a senior western railway official.

Following the Andheri-Gokhale bridge mishap, the WR had shut the Delisle bridge in July 2018. The pedestrian pathway of the bridge was opened by the Railways after immense pressure from local politicians. The bridge was dismantled after it was found unfit for vehicular traffic in an inspection that was carried out by IIT-B experts, railway officials and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). A total of 445 bridges were inspected.

Commuters were inconvenienced by the block, which was clubbed with the maintenance block operated by the Central Railway (CR) between Matunga and Mulund stations on the fast line and on the harbour route between Mankhurd and Nerul.

“I live in Thane and had to travel to Lower Parel for work. The trains on CR were delayed by 20 minutes, whereas there were disruptions for WR trains. The share-taxi drivers outside Dadar railway station took advantage and charged extra,” said Rupali Ambure, a Thane resident.

Owing to the block, a few outstation trains were cancelled.