Elphinstone stampede aftermath: Mumbai to get 50 new FOBs

Following the stampede at Elphinstone Road station on September 29 which left 23 dead the Railways are leaving no stone unturned to avoid another repeat After roping in the Indian Army to build key foot overbridges FOBs at stations that witness highest footfall the Railways are now reaching out to city architects and designers to help provide innovative solutions to construct sturdy FOBs for the railway networkThe swanky FOB with glass panels recently constructed at Wadala station is among the possible design options for new bridgesAs per plans the Railways will be building 50 new foot overbridges FOBs at the cost of over Rs 500 crore by 2018 In order to ensure errorfree planning the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation MRVC has organised an interactive session on November 10 with designers and architects A source said that the Railways are hoping to receive inputs on the best practices for faster construction and expertise to construct these bridgesThe Elphinstone Road station stampede on Sept 29While Central Railway is constructing and widening 15 footbridges Western Railway will be building 36 stations In addition to this the Bombay Sappers engineering team from the Indian Army will be separately building three FOBs at Elphinstone Road extension Currey Road and Ambivli stations respectively12 metrewide bridges like the one at Thane station are a new trend that witness high footfallWe have some of the best engineers but with so many bridges coming up it is important to get outofthebox ideas about design and construction process We have a set standard procedure to get things done but we want to explore if there are viable ideas which could fit into the Railways method of working said a senior MRVC official while explaining why the interactive session has been organisedSanjay Singh MRVC chief spokespersonFor the session the Railways have invited qualified professionals with some idea of the pressure of working with hightension wires Interested professionals can send an email to the Railways confirming their participationOnce the ideas are collated they will be assessed on merit Feasible ideas will be incorporated in the construction plan In railway standards safety is paramount and any deviation from practice needs approvals and sanctions However if there are ideas that we could work out within the framework they will always be welcomed We want to give this a shot the MRVC official saidConfirming the development Sanjay Singh MRVC chief spokesperson and executive director planning said The interactive session will include design of all FOBs planned by zonal railwaysTo register write to cemrvcgovin and dycpmcmrvcgmailcomFull coverage on Mumbai stampedeMumbai Stampede Latest 27 Dead At Elphinstone Railway Station Casualties May RiseMumbai Stampede Eyewitness Say That There Was No Help When Elphinstone Tragedy OccurredElphinstone Station Stampede KEM Hospital Releases List Of DeadRains Loud Thud And Thousands On 68Ft Overbridge Witnesses Tell Story Of Elphinstone StampedeMumbai Stampede Prominent Mumbaikars Shocked Express GriefMumbai Stampede Angry Netizens Blame Railways Government For Elphinstone DisasterMumbai Stampede PM Narendra Modi President Ram Nath Kovind Offer CondolencesView PhotosMumbai Gruesome photos of the Elphinstone station stampede