CR to increase the height of Sandhurst Road overbridge

More than a century old, the Hancock rail over bridge (ROB) near Sandhurst road station will be raised to complete the ambitious DC-AC conversion project on the main line of the Central railway.

More than a century old, the Hancock rail over bridge (ROB) near Sandhurst road station will be raised to complete the ambitious DC-AC conversion project on the main line of the Central railway.

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As part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), Central railway (CR) is switching from 1,500V direct current to 25,000V alternate current. Work will be completed between Kalyan and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus by the end of this year.

CR sources said that with the DC-AC conversion, suburban trains would able to run at 100kmph, up from the current 80kmph.

There will also be more power in OHE (overhead equipment) for running more trains. A lot of power could be saved with the new regenerative breaking system, CR authorities have identified three structures that were proving to be obstacles in the project. One of these is the Hancock Bridge at Mazgaon.

CR has also identified two British-era foot overbridges (FOB) — one at the Kalyan end of Matunga station and another at Kasaiwada near Kurla station as hinderances to the project.

“The height of Hancock bridge and the other FOBs will be raised to 4.87 metres to meet the safety standards of AC tractions,” said a CR spokesperson. Built in 1879, Hancock is one of the oldest ROBs in the city. “The work is expected to be completed in three months time at the estimated cost of Rs2.75 crore,” said a railway official.