(a) whether the Railways has conducted any survey to find out route worthiness/ strength of old bridges of old railway tracks, if so, the details of such study and if not, the reasons therefor;
(b) whether the survey report has also expressed concerns about the condition of many bridges which need immediate attention; and
(c) if so, the action taken/ being taken by the Railways in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)
(a) to (c): The age of the bridge does not have any direct relevance on the physical condition of the bridge. There is a well established system of inspection of bridges on Indian Railways. All the bridges are inspected twice a year, one before the onset of monsoon and one detailed inspection after the monsoon. In addition, certain bridges are also inspected more frequently depending upon their condition. Repair / strengthening / rehabilitation / rebuilding of Railway bridges is a continuous process and is undertaken whenever so warranted by their
physical condition as ascertained during these inspections and not on the basis of age. If the corrective / remedial measures are expected to take a long duration due to the complexity of the site situation, etc., suitable safety measures like imposing speed restrictions and keeping such bridge under close watch are taken till the bridge is repaired / strengthened / rehabilitated / rebuilt. During last five years (2013-14 to 2017-18), a total of 3758 bridges have been repaired / strengthened / rehabilitated / rebuilt on Indian Railways. As on 01.04.2018, a total of 4027 Railway bridges are sanctioned for repairing/ strengthening/ rehabilitation/ rebuilding.
*****