As on 01.04.2018, there are 1,47,523 railway water way bridges on all gauges of varying ages on Indian Railways’ network. Similarly, as on 01.04.2018, there are 2870 nos. of Road over Bridges (ROBs) which are given the same attention as given to Rail Bridges. However, the age of the bridge does not have any direct relevance on the physical condition of the bridge. There is a well established system of inspection of bridges on Indian Railways. All the bridges are inspected twice a year, one before the onset of monsoon by supervisors and one detailed inspection after the monsoon by officers. In addition, certain bridges are also inspected more frequently depending upon their condition. Repair / strengthening / rehabilitation / rebuilding of railway bridges is a continuous process and is undertaken in a planned way whenever so warranted by their physical condition as ascertained during these inspections and not on the basis of age. If the corrective / remedial measures are expected to take a long duration due to the complexity of the site situation, etc., suitable safety measures like imposing speed restrictions and keeping such bridge under close watch are taken till the bridge is repaired / strengthened / rehabilitated / rebuilt. All bridges are safe for train movement at permitted / restricted speed. During last five years (2014-15 to 2018-19 upto December 2018), a total of 3601 bridges have been repaired / strengthened / rehabilitated / rebuilt on Indian Railways.
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