Patna: The railways has completed construction of a 1.9-km-long rail bridge parallel to the historic Rajendra Pul near Mokama over the Ganga river at an estimated cost of Rs 1,491.47 crore. The new bridge is expected to ease congestion and improve train operations on one of East Central Railway’s (ECR) busiest routes.The existing Rajendra Pul, a single-line rail bridge, was opened to rail traffic in 1959. It was inaugurated by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad, and has remained a crucial link between north and south Bihar, carrying passenger and freight trains for more than six decades.According to ECR chief public relations officer Saraswati Chandra, the parallel bridge will increase the capacity of the route and provide greater operational flexibility for running passenger and freight trains. “The parallel bridge will help reduce congestion on the existing bridge and provide additional operational flexibility for running more passenger and goods trains,” he said.The project, taken up as part of the railways’ plan to strengthen connectivity and upgrade infrastructure on key routes, incorporates modern engineering techniques aimed at improving safety, durability and operational efficiency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project on March 12, 2016.The additional infrastructure is also expected to facilitate faster movement of freight and support trade and industrial activity in the region, Chandra said.However, the new bridge is yet to be commissioned for regular traffic. The railways will carry out non-interlocking (NI) work from Sept 21 to Oct 4 to integrate the new bridge with the existing railway network and associated signalling and operational systems. During this period, several short-distance local and long-distance passenger trains will remain cancelled.The NI work is aimed at enabling the new bridge to be commissioned for train operations, Chandra said. Once operational, the bridge is expected to strengthen the railways’ capacity on the Patna-Mokama section and help meet the anticipated increase in passenger and freight traffic, he said.
