India’s first-ever stainless steel foot-over-bridge opened at Naupada

Visakhapatnam: Waltair Division of East Coast Railway on Saturday opened India’s first-ever stainless steel foot-over-bridge (FOB) for public usage today at Naupada railway station in Andhra Pradesh.

The work was assigned to Jindal Steel Company which fabricated the most cost-effective and superior quality stainless steel for structural applications – Jindal Durasafe. This state-of-the-art FOB was opened for public usage by Divisional Railway Manager, Waltair Division Anup Satpathy along with Divisional Officers and Jindal Stainless’ senior management including Director, Tarun Khulbe and Sales Head, Rajeev Garg.

This is for the first time in Indian Railways that a Stainless Steel Girder is used for an FOB. The Codal Life of this stainless-steel FOB is 125 years as per Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO). Being in the coastal area, this Stainless Steel Structure will be corrosion free and life will be much more than that of any normal mild steel FOB.

Lauding this achievement, Anup Satpathy stated that India’s coastal railway infrastructure had, for long, been marred by corrosion. He congratulated Jindal Stainless for developing an optimum stainless steel grade to rise to the challenge. “RDSO’s approval on the grade strengthens our confidence in this choice. We look forward to strengthening India’s railway infrastructure with sustainable choices going forward as well,” he said.

On this milestone, Managing Director, Jindal Stainless, Abhyuday Jindal observed that the foot-over-bridge ushered in an era of sustainable infrastructure in stainless steel and Jindal Stainless is proud to collaborate with Railways for this momentous challenge. “We are committed to providing tailor-made, corrosion-free, and eco-friendly solutions for the Indian climatic conditions, and bolster the Atmanirbhar spirit of the Indian stainless steel industry. I congratulate the government and Indian Railways for their visionary decision-making,” he stated.

In 2019, Indian Railways invited proposals for renewing FOBs in coastal areas, which were marred by a corrosion-prone environment, rising pollution levels, and negligible maintenance, across all railway divisions.

Jindal Stainless developed the most cost-effective and high-quality stainless steel for structural applications – Jindal Durasafe especially for coastal areas. The grade, IRS 350 CR, has 10-12% chromium, a key ingredient in fighting corrosion, and has been designed for zero maintenance, ~100 years’ service life, and lower life cycle cost and carbon footprint. It comes in offerings like plates, girders, and channels.

The Company collaborated with RDSO and IIT Roorkee for testing, approval and endorsement of the grade, which eventually led to its formalisation for coastal railway infrastructure applications.

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