Second rail bridge to come up over Yamuna in Prayagraj by 2031
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Prayagraj: Indian Railways is set to construct a second rail bridge beside the existing old railway-cum-road bridge over river Yamuna connecting Naini with Prayagraj. The new bridge is expected to be completed by 2031, the year when Sangam city will host the next Kumbh.
"The Railway Board has approved the proposal for the construction of a new railway bridge over Yamuna under the Prayagraj Division. We have hired an expert agency that has started Geotechnical Investigation (GTI), which includes a gamut of extracting information from the nature of the soil to the recommendation of whether the foundation should be pile or well type. The agency will soon submit its report, which will be forwarded to the Board," said the public relation officer of Prayagraj division of NCR, Amit Kumar Singh.
The new bridge will initially be a single-line bridge but will have a provision for accommodating a second line as and when required. "After the bridge becomes operational, it is up to the ministry to decide whether the old bridge shall continue to be used for light vehicular traffic or be dismantled," said Singh.
The experts of the division are also looking for documents related to the construction of the present bridge, which has outlived its life. It was constructed way back in 1865 for a lifespan of 100 years. "Although engineering and technology have changed drastically since the old bridge was constructed, if the experts find something, the information could be valuable," said the PRO.
The new rail bridge will probably be of 'open web girder' based construction with a life span of 200 years and strong enough to sustain any natural disaster like an earthquake. The present bridge is around 900 metres long, but the second bridge could probably be around 200 metres longer, possibly starting from near Jeevan Jyoti Hospital and extending to SHUATS across Yamuna from next to ECC.
However, this new bridge will only be a rail bridge, unlike the present bridge, which supports both road and railways. "The National Highway Authority of India will be constructing a new road bridge over Yamuna in the Kareli area of the city. It would have been better if the state govt and the road and transport ministry joined hands with the railway ministry, and this second rail bridge was made in a way to support both, the road and rail traffic like the current bridge. That would have solved the problem for both the railways and the commuters of Sangam city to a larger extent," says former head of the department of Medieval and Modern History, Allahabad University, prof Yogeshwar Tiwari.
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