Mumbai: A 61-metre girder of a road under bridge (RUB) was launched in just two hours on Thursday near Chikhale station for the Panvel-Karjat suburban project. For the launch, a six-hour block on Mumbai-Pune Expressway was undertaken in two spells of three hours each. The project was executed by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC).
This RUB comprises four 61mt open web girders; two each in the direction of Mumbai and Pune. While one was launched earlier, two more are likely to be launched by March. Weighing 250 metric tonne, the girder was launched by 150 workers with a 250 tonne safety crane and a medical team on standby. Over 35 police personnel were also deployed for crowd and traffic management.
The construction of the Panvel-Karjat suburban corridor is likely to be completed by next year. It will save 30 minutes of travel time between CSMT and Karjat. At present, 43% work is completed.
Currently, the section has a single line, which is also used for a few long-distance passenger and goods trains. To convert the section into a suburban corridor, one additional track will be added with new station buildings at Mohope, Chowk, Karjat, Chikhale and Panvel stations. The sanctioned cost of this project is Rs 2782 crore.
