Lone rail-cum-road bridge of country to be history

Guwahati, Sep 21 (UNI) The country's lone surviving rail-cum-road bridge, still functioning in a remote corner of the north east, would soon be history as a separate railway bridge is ready for inauguration.

The bridge, built during the British days, across the Katakhal river, connects the Katakhal and Salchapra stations on the Badarpur-Silchar railway section of Northeast Frontier Railway(NFR) in Asom.

This is a unique bridge as it doubles up as the national highway.

Road transport is blocked at level crossings at both ends to allow passage of trains.

Unlike other bridges,it is not a crossing but both railway tracks and the road is the same on the bridge. Generally in all other bridges or crossings, either of these cross the other's way but not here. It is also not a double decker bridge. Here the railway tracks are on the bridge. So when a train approaches, vehicular traffic is stopped.

The national highway connecting Guwahati and Silchar runs through the bridge, which ensures that traffic flows unabated.

The only other such rail-cum-road bridge in the country was in Punjab which is also no longer in use now.

NF Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Trikalagya Rabha informed that a new BG railway bridge has been constructed, which would be commissioned on October 31.

He said the new bridge had been planned a few years ago as part of future requirements for the on-going Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project.

The separate railway bridge would also ease movement for road vehicles, he added.

A new bridge exclusively for road traffic had also been constructed by the Border Roads Organisation(BRO), though it is yet to be commissioned.

The CPRO informed that the old bridge would be handed over to the state government.

While the new bridge may ease traffic movement, the curious first-timer would surely miss the rare pleasure of passing over a rail-cum-road bridge.

UNI SG-MT PL SS1207