The Salem Railway Division created a record of sort
by converting a steel girder bridge into a concrete bridge between Danishpet
and Lokur railway stations in the Salem – Jolarpettai section within two days
on Friday and Saturday (November 17 and 18).
The highlight of the execution of the project is
that the through train services were maintained as usual. The project was
completed at an outlay of ₹ one crore.
The 46-metre steel girder bridge accounting for a
single railway line was constructed about five decades ago across River
Sarabanga. Since the girder bridge had become old, Hari Shankar Verma,
Divisional Railway Manager, had sought the permission of the railway
headquarters for replacing it with a concrete bridge.
After getting the nod from the higher officials, the
engineering , signalling and electrical branches of the Salem Railway Division
decided to undertake and complete the execution of the project on November 17
and 18.
The pre-stressed concrete (PSC) slabs were
manufactured nearby the bridge and were kept ready. The work of removing the
girder and simultaneously replacing them with PSC slabs was launched on Friday
and the entire work was completed on Saturday evening.
The Salem – Jolarpettai track was an electrified
line and as usual, the officials faced usual challenge, in undertaking the
work.
The major achievement of the railways is that the
through traffic is maintained in both the directions as usual on the two days.
According to railway sources, the operation of only
ten trains – two trains on the first day and eight trains on the second day –
was slightly affected. Each of these trains were delayed by 10 minutes to
ensure slow and safe crossing at the construction site.
The concrete bridge will ensure adequate safety of
the trains.
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