The Western Railways (WR) announced that it will install fences on the Mumbai- Ahmedabad route next May to keep animals out of the way and out of trains. Western Railways General Manager Ashok Kumar Mishra said at a press conference held at the Railway Zone headquarters here in Churchgate on Friday that a tender had been submitted to build a fence along the 620km line at a cost of Rs 264 crore calculation.

The third Vande Bharata Express, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off between Gujarat’s Gandhinagar and financial capital Mumbai on September 30, has hit cattles four times so far. The latest incident took place on Thursday night between Udvada and Vapi railway stations in Gujarat. The stainless steel railing will be a W-beam structure 1.5 meters above the ground, Western Railways said.

Installing 1.5 metres W-Beam Fences

Ashok Mishra said , “We are going to install (W-Beam) at a height of 1.5 m. The advantage is that people can pass through it, but animals cannot.He said that both railway officials and railway protection force (RPF) visited villages along the tracks and talked to people in an attempt to solve the problem (“Wild Cows on the Railroad”). Mishra says the design ensures animals don’t get stuck at the bottom of the paddle after such an accident.

Passengers count Reduced after covid

WR officials said average daily ridership in 2022-23 was 25.68 lakh, 15.12 lakh in 2021-22, 7.72 lakh in 2020-21 (both years by coronavirus standards), 34.87 lakh in 2019.20 and 2018-19 to 35.44 lakh.Mishra said the decline in passenger numbers compared to pre-Covid-19 was mainly due to staff shifting to stay at home and offices moving to the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in suburban Mumbai.

Mishra said Western Railway is looking to improve its services in line with changing travel patterns. Asked about changes to out-of-town travel patterns, Mishra said that while many commuters are unlikely to switch to private transport, some may prefer to take the subway.

Bridge Work will be completed by January 2023

In response to a report about the construction of the Delisal elevated bridge in Lower Parel, Mishra revealed that the construction of the elevated section would be completed by January 2023. The general manager said Western Railway has handed over the construction to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Company (BMC) for further work. Work under the jurisdiction of civil authorities.