Railways may open Elphinstone overbridge in Mumbai in March — a month ahead of deadline

However, another FOB being built by the Army at Elphinstone Road station will miss its January-end deadline by 15 days

In a relief to commuters, the railways is likely to open its 12-metre-wide foot overbridge between Elphinstone Road and Parel stations by the end of March, a month ahead of the original deadline.

The FOB at Elphinstone Road costs the railways Rs12 crore. (Satish Bate/HT)

However, another FOB being built by the Army at Elphinstone Road station will miss its January-end deadline by 15 days.

Four months after the Elphinstone Road stampede killed 23 commuters, various projects to make railway commute safer are making progress.

The 12-metre FOB is about 70 meters north of the existing one .

“Work for the new 12-metre FOB at Parel is going at a fast pace. Two pillars have been already erected and other works are also being carried out simultaneously. The railway minister is closely monitoring work,” said a senior Central Railway (CR) official. He added that the deadline for FOB had been advanced to March 31.

After getting nod of former railway minister Suresh Prabhu, authorities finally appointed a contractor last November. The project had been stuck in red tape since 2016. The 12-crore FOB is expected to ease pressure on the existing one between Parel and Ephinstone Road stations, which have seen a drastic increase in the number of commuters in the past two decades owing to several business centers and residential colonies. However, railway infrastructure has remained the same, forcing passengers to face stampede-like situation daily.