Centre To Undertake Extensive Rehabilitation Of Over 9000 Railway Bridges Nationwide

The Indian Railways has sanctioned repairs, strengthening, rehabilitation, or rebuilding of 9,784 railway bridges in the country.

This was announced by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Lok Sabha on Wednesday (31 July) in a written reply to questions from nine members of parliament (MPs). The questions concerned the identification and condition of old railway bridges in Maharashtra and details of repair work undertaken in the past three years.

The MPs expressed concerns about the potential collapse of railway bridges over the last three years and the resulting fatalities and injuries. They also inquired about the government's steps to repair all old railway bridges nationwide.

Vaishnaw assured that Indian Railways has a well-established system for inspecting railway bridges, with inspections conducted twice a year — once before the monsoon and a detailed inspection after the monsoon. Additional inspections are carried out more frequently for certain bridges depending on their condition.

He emphasised that the repair, strengthening, rehabilitation, and rebuilding of railway bridges are ongoing processes based on their physical condition, not their age.

He noted that information on railway bridges is maintained zone-wise, not state-wise. Maharashtra falls under the Central Railway, South Central Railway, South East Central Railway, South Western Railway, and Western Railway zones.

Vaishnaw also provided details on the repair work done in the past three years, stating that 5,405 railway bridges have been repaired, rehabilitated, strengthened, or rebuilt across Indian Railways, including 1,323 bridges in the above-mentioned five zonal railways, reports Business Standard.

As of 1 April 2024, 9,784 railway bridges have been sanctioned for repairs, strengthening, rehabilitation, or rebuilding on Indian Railways.

The minister clarified that no railway bridges in Maharashtra have collapsed in the past three years, affirming that all railway bridges are safe for train movement at permitted speeds.