Metro bridge over Diva-Panvel stretch gets CR nod

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has received an approval from the Central Railway (CR) to construct a metro rail bridge over the tracks on the Diva-Panvel section. The bridge will connect Panchnand metro station to Pendhar terminal of Navi Mumbai Metro. The planning agency had been waiting for the nod for almost four years.

The construction of the around-100 metre bridge over railway tracks near Taloja was a major hurdle, as getting approval from the Central Railway was necessary. "We have received the approval to construct the bridge over the Diva-Panvel line of the Central Railway. Construction work will start soon," said SR Darade, Chief Engineer of Special Projects, CIDCO.

According to officials, the main reason for the delay was several rejections and changes in the design of the bridge.

"The design submitted by CIDCO has now been approved by the CR, paving the way for fast completion of the project," said another official associated with the project. A host of South-bound trains, including Rajdhani Express, cross the Diva-Panvel section from Mumbai, Delhi and other parts of the country. According to another CIDCO official, CR wanted to ensure that there would not be any hurdles in the movement of trains. "As the section is busy and used by a number of trains, CR ensured that the design and quality of the bridge is strong and technically sound," said the official.

The official said about 65 per cent of the work of the 11.10-kilometre Phase I of the Navi Mumbai Metro has been completed.