Earth excavation work to push concrete boxes beneath Mangaluru Junction line at Mahakalipadpu commences

The existing single RuB beneath the Mangaluru Junction line is being demolished while the earth next to it is being excavated to provide space for pushing the concrete boxes. Once the excavation is completed, the contractor would push the two concrete boxes beneath the railway line using heavy cranes.

Southern Railway’s Palakkad division has commenced earth excavation beneath the Mangaluru Junction-Shoranur Junction line to push concrete boxes for construction of twin railway-under-bridges (RuBs) at Mahakalipadpu in Mangaluru.

The earth excavation comes close on the heels of completion of one of the two in-situ concrete boxes beneath the Mangaluru Central-Shoranur line. While railways has adopted concrete box-pushing method for the RuB beneath the Mangaluru Junction line, it was following the in-situ concrete box casting method for the Mangaluru Central line, based on the condition of the site.

The existing single RuB beneath the Mangaluru Junction line is being demolished while the earth next to it is being excavated to provide space for pushing the concrete boxes. Once the excavation is completed, the contractor would push the two concrete boxes beneath the railway line using heavy cranes.

Prior to the excavation, huge girders spanning 24 metres were inserted beneath the double track Mangaluru Junction-Shoranur line on the night of May 10, according to Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager Arun Kumar Chaturvedi.

The DRM said construction of the twin RuB was a complicated procedure because of the location of the project. The RuBs were coming up next to the Netravathi Cabin where the double track from Shoranur branches out towards Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction. Consequently, two RuBs were to be constructed beneath the lines within a distance of about 100 metres. Work on pushing the concrete boxes beneath the Mangaluru Junction line should be completed by May-end, Mr. Chaturvedi said.

The ₹20 crore twin RuB project was part of the 1-km Morgan’s Gate-Jeppinamogaru four-lane road being executed by Mangaluru Smart City Limited, at an estimated cost of ₹30 crore. The railway level crossing at Mahakalipadpu was the bottleneck for smooth movement of vehicles, thereby requiring construction of the twin RuBs.

The work began in December 2021 and was supposed to be completed within 12 months.