Mumbai: Commuters say hanging old FOB a risk, CR says no it’s not

The girders of old bridge on the east side of Kurla station

Half a portion of a foot overbridge at Kurla station is a threat to people's lives, commuters have complained, but Central Railway on Tuesday said there is no safety risk. The bridge is strong enough to last another 50 years, CR added.

"We do not know what is happening to the bridge. While work is moving fast in the west side, there seems to be some issue in the east side. Trains on the harbour up line are always crowded and keeping such a bridge hanging over the line is very risky," Subhash Gupta of Kurla-based Yatri Sangh Mumbai said.

East side work later

"Kurla station is being redesigned and two platforms will be elevated, and the work is about 45 per cent complete. Any new bridge or infrastructure at the station needs to be built around the redesigned pattern. Hence we are building the bridge in stages," a senior official said.

The west part of the foot overbridge (FOB) was demolished due to old age and work has begun to build a new one. The east side of the bridge would be pulled down and rebuilt later, said CR. "The remains of the old bridge are over the tracks of the Harbour up and freight lines that go to the Rail Coach Factory," a senior official said. "Work has begun in the west and the new bridge will be built by December 2022 up till platforms 5 and 6. The old portion above platforms 7 and 8 and beyond to the east side will be taken up only after work of the elevated station reaches a certain level, for better clarity," he added.

The elevated Kurla station will have three lines - one for CSMT-bound trains, another for Mankhurd and Navi Mumbai-bound trains and a central double discharge platform with a dead-end for trains terminating at Kurla. The layout will be similar to that of Parel suburban terminus station," the official added. CR chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said the entire east side will undergo a massive makeover once the elevated work is complete and they were working on it in a time-bound manner.

Other complaints

Residents alleged that the east-west Kurla bridge was demolished after the subway underneath it was commissioned, but the subway's quality is bad and cannot be used in the monsoon.

"It would be incorrect to say the subway is useless, as it is wide enough and is being used extensively. We have checked it structurally too, and there are no leaks or waterlogging," the CR official added. Local residents have also alleged that hawkers have taken over the entry to the booking office in the east, which leads to crowding.

"At the Kurla station, ticket checkers conduct inspections only around their office, at platform number 4. They are seen nowhere on the station. Call this laziness or anything else," Jitendra Desai said.