Bhubaneswar: Indian Railways has planned to construct foot overbridges (FOBs) at small stations to facilitate commute from one platform to another. These stations will also have high level and concrete platforms.
Notably, Railways has received complaints about people going under stationary goods trains to cross from one track to another. Most of the small stations are passenger halts. This year, as the sanction of works under powers of general managers has been delegated by the Railway board, Railways has brought small stations in to the focus area.
FOBs are necessary keeping in view the daily footfall at these stations. In view of the above, Cuttack and Jajpur Keonjhar Road stations will have wide 6 metres wide FOBs marking a new trend.
These processes are already in motion at Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak stations on fast-track mode to be completed within 6 months – a record time for any FOBs in Indian Railways. Work for these FOBs has started in December, 2017 and will be functional by Rath Yatra this year.
Small stations under East Coast Railway to be provided with first FOBs are Motari, Surla Road, Jhadupudi, Baruva, Summadevi, Bagadia PH, Banbihari Gwalipur, Baridhengarh, Badakhadeita, Jhankada Sarala Road PH, Manguli Choudwar, Mattagazpur, NIN PH, Srijhadeswar PH, Badabandha, Sukinda Road, Sagadapeta, Baghuapal, Chilikidara, Kapali Road PH, Dulakhapatna PH, Brahmani PH, Argul PH, Chhatrapur Court PH, Dhaulimuhan PH, Golabai PH, Kalijai PH, Mukteswar PH, Solari PH, Mahadia PH, Sarpeswar PH, Talcher Thermal PH, Haripurgram PH, Janakideipur, Jenapur Road PH and Junagarh Road.
Earlier, Railways had focused on Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs). In East Coast Railway jurisdiction, Khurda Road Railway Division is free from any UMLCs as all of those were closed by March, 2018. Railways targets to make the Waltair and Sambalpur Railway Divisions to be UMLCs- free by July, 2018.