Solapur (Maharashtra) [India], December 17 (ANI): The Solapur Division of Central Railway successfully operated a 13 hours 30 minutes special traffic block on December 14, demonstrating meticulous planning, inter-agency coordination and a strong commitment to passenger safety and service continuity, said an official release.

Decommissioning of old structures tends to throw up surprises-as this ROB did, still the Division was able to conclude the work in 12 hrs 45 min and open the complete Solapur yard for normal operations.

All key stakeholders, including the people's representatives, Municipal Commissioner, Police Commissioner and other state authorities were briefed about this exercise through briefings and necessary arrangements. State Government officials appreciating the need for early dismantling of the ROB extended their full cooperation to Solapur Division, the release stated.

The traffic block was undertaken for the dismantling of the 19.7 metre long, 103-year-old Road Over Bridge (ROB) at Solapur Yard, a structure constructed in 1922, which had become vulnerable to heavy vehicular traffic over time. The dismantling work was carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in close coordination with Indian Railways, ensuring the protection of critical railway infrastructure throughout the operation.

During the block, extensive safety measures were implemented to safeguard railway assets, including OHE installations, electric wires, tracks and points. A total of 4 tower wagons / OHE Inspection Cars were deployed for dropping and restoration of OHE wires. These alongwith tracks and points were carefully guarded using steel channels, sandbags and plywood planks to prevent any damage by falling debris and movement of earth-moving machinery. Following the completion of dismantling activities, rail traffic was restored smoothly, strictly adhering to all prescribed safety protocols.

Machinery deployed for the dismantling of ROB included 3 Hydraulic Cranes (Capacity 225 T, 200 T, 200 T), 3 Excavator Breakers, 4 JCBs, 2 Bobcats (mini excavators), 2 Long Boom Excavators, 3 Hard Breakers, 3 Tractor Breakers, 4 Tractor with Trolleys.

The ROB structure had reached the end of its life. It had put 19.7 m noose on railway lines, severely impacting Solapur which forced Solapur yard to not be able to handle speeds more than 15 kmph and necessitating stoppage of all trains. Solapur serves Mumbai-Chennai leg of Indian Railways' golden quadrilateral ROB had adversely impacted full utilisation of capacity augmentation of IR's GQ.

The track could not be maintained to the required standards as height between rails and ROB was limited. Due to restricted clearance of overhead traction power lines, specialised insulation which is not readily available in the country was provided under the ROB. Further, separation between 25 kV lines and rolling stock was also less than minimum safe separation. With petroleum loading set to double through IOCL siding at Pakni, near Solapur, this clearance started to affect confidence in moving inflammable cargo under this ROB.

This ROB put limitations on economically carrying out Ro-Ro services from Bale towards South Western Railway.

The traffic block was strategically planned to minimise disruption to train operations and passenger inconvenience. As a result, most major trains running from, to or via Solapur station operated with no or minimal hindrance, facilitating seamless travel for passengers bound for Mumbai, Pune, and northern & southern parts of the country. Trains such as Vande Bharat Express, Hutatma Express, Siddheshwar Express, Karnataka Express, CSMT Mumbai-Chennai Egmore Superfast Mail, CSMT Mumbai-Chennai Central Express, and Kalaburagi-Kolhapur-Kalaburagi Superfast Express continued to serve passengers efficiently.

To ensure transparency and passenger preparedness, the general public was well informed in advance about traffic disruptions, diversions, short terminations and originations, rescheduling and regulations through detailed press releases, social media platforms, official railway apps, route maps and SMS alerts.

To ensure minimum inconvenience to passengers and for their assistance, Help Desks were set up at key stations, including Solapur, Kalaburagi, Pandharpur and Kurduvadi. Special arrangements were made during train diversions and short terminations. Pune-Solapur Intercity Express was short terminated at Kurduvadi, and Solapur-bound passengers were assisted and transported to Solapur via State Transport buses. Pune-Hyderabad Shatabdi Express, which ran via a diverted route, was provided lunch catering at Dharashiv station.

In addition to the ROB dismantling, the Division optimally utilised the opportunity by executing 21 shadow blocks across the Solapur-Wadi section to carry out essential maintenance works, thereby reducing the need for future traffic disruptions. These shadow blocks covered locations such as Solapur Yard, Solapur SSP (Sub-Sectioning and Paralleling Post), Solapur-Bale section, Bale Bridge, Mohol-Wakav-Angar section, Madha, Wadsinge, Tikekarwadi, Hotgi, Tilati, Akkalkot Road-Nagansur section and Shahabad-Wadi section. These included six major safety-related works.

The complete block operation across the Solapur Division saw the deployment of a highly skilled workforce of 691 personnel, comprising 354 railway employees and 337 contractual workers, ensuring round-the-clock execution of planned activities. The entire operation was closely monitored on-site by divisional branch officers, ensuring effective coordination and swift decision-making.

The successful completion of this major block operation stands as a testament to the excellent inter-departmental coordination, meticulous planning and unwavering commitment of the Solapur Division of Central Railway towards safety, infrastructure modernisation and passenger-centric operations. (ANI)