Five months after a massive stampede at Elphinstone Road Railway station claimed 23 lives and left 38 other commuters injured, an alternative 240 feet-long Foot Over Bridge (FOB) connecting Parel and Elphinstone Railway stations was thrown open to the public on Tuesday.

Apart from the Elphinstone Road FOB, two more new FOBs were inaugurated at Currey Road and Ambivali railway stations in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre and Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohen.

As part of the decision to throw open the three FOBs at the hands of common Mumbaikars, the inaugural plaque for the FOB at the Elphinstone Road station was unveiled by a flower vendor Shivraj Konde, while the second plaque of Currey Road FOB was unveiled by a dabbawalla Sopan More and the third plaque of Ambivali FOB was unveiled by a fish vendor lata Chandrakant Koli.

All the three new FoBs were constructed on a war-footing by the Indian Army’s construction wing Bombay Engineering Group (BEG) personnel. Apart from addressing the safety concerns, the new FOBs will cater to the increasing commuter traffic at these railway stations.

It may be recalled that on September 29, 2017, 23 commuters were killed and at least 38 others injured in a massive stampede that took place on a narrow FoB connecting the Parel and Elphinstone Railway stations in south-central Mumbai.

As many as 250 sappers from the BEG worked overtime and constructed the FOB connecting Parel and Elphinstone Railway stations in a record time of 117 days. The FOB is 73.1 meter-long and 3.65 meter wide.  The Railways, which had enlisted the help of MEG to construct the FOB, incurred an expenditure on the construction.

The FOB spans over both Western and Central Railway tracks and connects Parel station on the East side and  Phool wali Gali outside the  Elphinstone Road station on the west side.

The Central Railway commuters working in commercial hubs on the north of Elphinstone Road will have direct access. Similarly, there will be a direct exit and access towards west side phool market. It will also help to reduce the congestion on existing island platform and southend FOB connecting Parel and Elphinstone Road.

“Mumbaikars are grateful to Army for constructing 3 Foot Over Bridges in Elphinstone Road, Currey Road & Ambivilli in a record time, setting high standards of speed, skill and professionalism,” Goyal tweeted after throwing open the Elphinstone and two other FOBs to public.

The new FOB will not only decongest the area but will also ensure smooth passage of commuters during peak hours at both Elphinstone Road and Parel stations. It is expected to benefit nearly 1.6 lakh commuters who use the FOB daily.

The FOB will also provide access and exit to flower & Fish vendors of nearby markets during wee hours. The DOB will be an additional mode for changing the platforms from East to West side and vice versa.

The new FOB at Currey Road, which is 30 metre long and 3.5 meter wide, has been constructed at the southern end of the railway station. The FOB at Ambivali is 20 metre-long and 3.5 meter wide and it connects both the platforms at the station.