A month after Western Railway demanded Rs 59.14 crore from the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation as way-leave charges before permitting the demolition of the Elphinstone bridge, Central Railway (CR) has now joined in, escalating its own demand from Rs 9 crore to Rs 47 crore.
Western Railway’s earlier claim of Rs 59.14 crore for reconstruction work had already been disputed by Maharail, which argued that the fee was excessive and that, under Railway Board rules, charges should be calculated only for the portion of work supervised by each railway zone. With both railways raising steep demands, Maharail will now end up paying a combined way-leave fee of around Rs 106 crore, against the total bridge project cost of Rs 165 crore.
Meanwhile, discussions have begun on how to schedule the removal of the railway portion of the bridge by taking blocks that minimise disruption. The plan is to first take a block on Central Railway, where the girder spans 71 metres, and then seek permission for a mega block at Prabhadevi station on Western Railway, where the girder spans 61 metres.
The Rs 167-crore project includes the construction of a new double-decker flyover that forms part of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector, aimed at easing traffic congestion. Demolition is slated for completion by January 2026, with the new bridge expected to be ready by January 2027.
“How come the higher charges are levied mid-way. If WR was aware of it earlier, why wasn’t CR? It is just another way to hold citizens to ransom. All officers are just trying to meet their targets and doing this,” commuter activist Akshay Mahapadi said. Central Railway officials said the revised way-leave charges are in line with updated Railway Board policy norms.
