(a) whether a number of railway bridges in the country have outlived their life span and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government is aware that renovation work of these bridges and safety of passengers is being compromised and is so, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether the Government proposes to undertake renovation work of these bridges; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)
(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 888 BY SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA, KUMARI SUSHMITA DEV, SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH AND SHRI SHIVKUMAR UDASI TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 20.12.2017 REGARDING REPAIR OF OLD BRIDGES
(a) to (d): As on 01.04.2017, there are 1,44,698 railway bridges of varying ages on Indian Railways’ network. However, 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. All bridges are safe for train movement at permitted speed.
As on 01.04.2017, 3017 railway bridges are sanctioned for repair / strengthening / rehabilitation / rebuilding.
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