The Western Railway is set to open its first stainless steel pedestrian bridge (FOB) at Bhayander station on Friday. “A new Pedestrian Bridge (FOB) will be put into operation at Bhayander Railway Station in the suburban section of Mumbai for the convenience and safety of passengers,” WR officials said.
“The new pedestrian bridge at Bhayander Station (South End) is the first stainless steel FOB on Western Railway built with the latest structural material, an innovative design that incorporates wider and easier stair slopes, making it easier the climb. The FOB is approximately .65m long and 10m wide. This FOB will be open to rail travelers from Friday, June 3, 2022,” the official said.
“This FOB is designed for negligible lifetime maintenance, lower life cycle cost and low carbon footprint. The structural steel weight saving in the case of stainless steel is approximately 30% compared to the mild steel convective design.In its commitment to a more comfortable experience for passengers, the innovative design has been adopted where the stair slope has been reduced by approximately 4 degrees, making the makes it easy and comfortable to erect,” said a WR engineer adding that the new structure is corrosion resistant and will reduce maintenance efforts in Mumbai’s corrosion-prone environment compared to conventional steel, which will benefit from it in the long run.
Explaining the benefits of stainless steel, another senior WR executive said, “Except for periodic inspection and cleaning, there are virtually no maintenance costs. This means that there will be very few traffic blockages required for repairs of stainless steel FOBs and ROBs. “In Mumbai, the railway authorities have to think twice before closing a FOB because of the chaos it triggers.
In the suburban section of Mumbai, there are around 450 FOBs and ROBs (Road Over Bridge) including WR and CR jurisdiction. “Structural corrosion is one of the persistent challenges facing coastal regions such as Mumbai and has contributed to many incidents and unsafe structures over the past few years,” a senior railway official said adding that a similar type of foot on the bridge is also being built at Thane Station on the CR Suburban Section.
Besides CR and WR Railway Board also ordered other railways to build bridges in their jurisdiction using stainless steel. “The fundamental difference between stainless steel and ordinary structural steel is that the former contains alloys of chromium, copper and nickel, which allow it to resist corrosion,” said an engineer from a path Indian iron.
The main advantages of stainless steel are resistance to corrosion; strength and durability; design flexibility; Durable because it contributes to the reduction of the carbon footprint and a significant reduction in the weight of the structure. The stainless steel used contains 10-12% chromium, a key ingredient in fighting and reducing corrosion. Being in a coastal area, corrosion on mild steel (MS) FOBs is rampant and all mild steel FOBs require regular maintenance due to the highly corrosive environment. For FOB stainless steel, although the initial cost of FOB stainless steel is approx. 10% higher than normal MS FOB, overall maintenance cost becomes approx. 40% cheaper considering the lifespan of 60 years.
