Patna: The East Central Railway is still operating trains on 2951 bridges that are over 100 years old, despite the Railways considering the lifespan of bridges to be a century. These include the historic Koilwar rail bridge over the Son River, built in 1862 and still supporting trains at normal speeds after 162 years.
An RTI report revealed that the Railways has ensured the safety of these aging structures through a robust maintenance policy, spending Rs 197.18 crore over the past 4 years and 8 months. Between January 2020 and August 2024, this amount was allocated specifically to maintain these bridges. Despite their age, there are no immediate plans to replace these structures, though some new projects like the Mokama rail bridge and JP Setu on the Ganga have been initiated.
The East Central Railway spans five divisions: Danapur, Dhanbad, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya (DDU), Samastipur, and Sonpur. Out of a total of 9054 bridges under its jurisdiction, 3416 belong to the British era, with 2951 being over 100 years old. Division-wise, Danapur has the highest number of such bridges at 1193, followed by Dhanbad with 637, DDU with 625, Samastipur with 263, and Sonpur with 233.
CPRO Saraswati Chandra assured that all 100-year-old bridges are inspected by the Chief Bridge Engineer and are deemed safe for train operations at normal speeds. While the existing bridges remain operational, there is no approval yet for constructing new ones in Bihar apart from ongoing projects.
