The Mumbai Metro line got a boost with the railway authorities clearing two concept plans for a rail bridge over the suburban railway lines near Andheri station, a project which had been stuck for over nine months.

According to MMRDA officials, chief minister Ashok Chavan had asked the railways to clear the bridge as the delay was threatening to affect the Metro project adversely.

Director of Mumbai Metro One, K P Maheshwari, said the railways had cleared two of their concept plans. They had submitted two options, one a simple bridge plan done in concrete and another with concrete and steel. “We will now have to submit the detailed plans, but that is not difficult and we hope to have the bridge up in eight months time,” he said.

Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) is the special purpose vehicle owned by Reliance Energy,the MMRDA and Veolia,a French multinational. It is building the Metro line from Versova to Ghatkopar.

Western Railway authorities and the MMRDA had been having differences for over nine months over the permission for the bridge. The complications arose as the railways wanted its own network on top of the regular line from Churchgate to Virar.When MMOPL submitted its designs,they were asked to change them, which took time. Railway authorities were also strict about the safety precautions to be taken while building the bridge. MMRDA officials, however, chaffed at the delay.

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