In a significant development, the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) successfully executed the launching of the first open web girder over Pune Expressway, marking a crucial milestone in the construction of the Panvel-Karjat Suburban Corridor. The operation, which took place on 9th November 2023, saw the completion of the girder installation for the Up line in just 90 minutes.
The bridge, comprising four 61.00 meter spans for both Up and Down railway lines, required meticulous planning and coordination. Traffic police granted a sanctioned block of five hours, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, during which road traffic in the Pune-Mumbai direction was diverted by the authorities.
"The first girder launch, originally scheduled for 11:00 am, commenced on time, and the entire process was completed in just 90 minutes, well within the allocated two-hour window for the first part of the block. Heavy vehicular traffic was temporarily permitted from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm" said Sunil Udasi, Chief public relations officer of MRVC.
"Miscellaneous works were efficiently carried out during the second part of the block, between 2:00 pm and 3:20 pm, with the entire block cleared 100 minutes before the targeted time of 5:00 pm. The successful launch of the girder, weighing 250 MT, over the Pune-Mumbai Expressway was achieved with utmost precision and adherence to safety protocols" he said.
"The operation involved 150 dedicated workers, 18 Hillman rollers strategically placed for pulling the girder, and the deployment of a standby 250-ton crane, hydrates, safety teams, and an ambulance with a doctor on-site. A comprehensive traffic management plan, implemented by 40 personnel from the Traffic Police, ensured smooth regulation during the block hours" said an official of MRVC.
"With the first girder in place, the project is set to move forward, aiming to complete the launching of the remaining three girders by March 2024. The successful execution of this critical phase underscores the commitment of MRVC towards timely and safe completion of the Panvel-Karjat Suburban Corridor by December 2025 ", further added officials.
Travel time between CSMT-Karjat to be reduced by over 30 mins after project's completion
After completion of the Panvel-Karjat Suburban Corridor, travel time between CSMT-Karjat will be reduced by over 30 minutes.
The Panvel -Karjat suburban corridor project was sanctioned in Jan. 2018. It will have five stations i.e. Mohope, Chowk, Karjat, Chikhale and Panvel.
Currently this route has a single line which is being used by few long distance trains and goods trains. Under this project a parallel line was constructed to convert the section into suburban corridor.
"This double line corridor will enable running of suburban services providing alternate routes from the main island city of Mumbai to Karjat via Panvel. It will also imply shorter commute between CSMT and Karjat due to shorter distance than the existing route via Kalyan.
"After completion of this work, commuters will reach Panvel from CST in just one hour forty-five minutes, which is 30 minutes less than the current time," said an official.
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