WR to commission first stainless steel FOB at Bhayander station

The Western Railway (WR) will open its first stainless steel Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at Bhayander station. A new FOB will be commissioned at Bhayander station in the Mumbai Suburban section for the convenience and safety of passengers.

According to an official, it is the first stainless steel FOB over WR constructed with the latest structural material and innovative design with wide and easy slopes of stairs. The FOB is around 65 m long and 10 m wide. The FOB will be opened for railway commuters from 3 June.

The FOB is designed for negligible maintenance, lower life cycle cost and low carbon footprint. The weight saving of structural steel in stainless steel is around 30% compare to Mild Steel Convectional Design.

To provide comfort for passengers, it has an innovative design with a sloppy staircase, reduced by around 4 degrees, making it easy and comfortable to climb. The new structure is corrosion resistant and reduces maintenance efforts in the corrosion-prone environment of Mumbai compared to conventional steel.

An official said that barring the periodic inspection and cleaning with little or no maintenance cost. Few traffic blocks are needed for repairing stainless steel made FOB and Road Over Bridges (ROBs).

There are around 450 FOBs and ROBs in Mumbai. Corrosion in structures is a challenge in Mumbai, contributing to many mishaps and unsafe structures during the past few years.

A similar FOB is also being constructed at Thane station of CRs suburban section.

Central Railway (CR) and WR Railway Board have directed other Railways to construct bridges in their jurisdiction using stainless steel.

The main advantages of stainless steel are corrosion-resistant, strength and durability, and design flexibility. It also reduces carbon footprint and a significant reduction in the weight of the structure.

The stainless steel has 10-12% chromium, a key ingredient in fighting and reduc ing corrosion. Corrosion on Mild Steel (MS) FOBs is uncontrolled, and all Mild Steel FOBs need regular maintenance due to the heavy corrosive environment of Mumbai.

The initial cost of Stainless Steel FOB is about 10% more compared to the regular MS FOB, and the overall maintenance cost is 40% cheaper considering the life span of 60 years.

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