Lok Sabha Question No. 3813 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Construction of ROBs and RUBs in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Navaskani K, Shri Malaiyarasan D

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3813 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2024

## CONSTRUCTION OF ROBs AND RUBs IN TAMIL NADU

3813. SHRI MALAIYARASAN D: SHRI NAVASKANI K:

## Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) completed, under construction and pending in Tamil Nadu;
- (b) the funds allocated and utilised for the construction of ROBs and
- RUBs in the State;
- (c) the progress made in completion of ROBs and RUBs in Tamil Nadu during the last five years and the expected time for completion;
- (d)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  expedite  the construction  of  ROBs  and  RUBs  to  address  the  growing  traffic congestion;
- (e)  the  safety  measures  implemented/being  implemented  at  existing and  under-construction  ROBs  and  RUBs  to  prevent  accidents  and smooth traffic flow; and
- (f)  whether  the  Government  has  plans  to  construct  additional  ROBs and  RUBs  in  areas  identified  as  high-traffic  zones  in  the  said  State and if so, the details thereof along with details of location identified and expected timelines for approval and completion?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (f):    Sanctioning  of  works of Road over Bridge (ROB)/Road under Bridge  (RUB)  in  lieu  of  Level  crossings  (LCs)  is  a  continuous  and dynamic  process  of  Indian  Railway.  Such  works  are  prioritised  and taken  up  on  the  basis  of  its  impact  on  safety  in  train  operations, mobility of trains & impact for road users and feasibility etc.

Nos.  of  ROBs/RUBs  constructed  on  Indian  Railways  during  the period 2004-14 to 2014-24 is as under:

| Period   | ROBs/RUBs constructed           |
|----------|---------------------------------|
| 2004-14  | 4,148 Nos.                      |
| 2014-24  | 11,945 Nos. (about three times) |

As  on  01.04.2024,  4200  Nos.  ROBs/RUBs  are  sanctioned  at  the cost of ₹ 92692 crore on Indian Railways  including 240 Nos. at the cost of ₹ 5,108 crore in the state of Tamil Nadu which are at various stage of planning and execution.

During 2019-24 (last five years), 264 Nos. of ROBs/RUBs at the cost of ₹ 2,895 crores have been constructed in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Railways have taken following measures to expedite the progress of ROB/RUB works:

- (i)    Joint  survey  with  concerned  State  Govt./Road  Owning  Authority  is done before  finalizing  the  General  Arrangement  Drawing    (GAD)  to ensure smooth execution.
- (ii) Periodic meetings of Railway & State Government officials are done to resolve various issues related to ROB/RUB works.
- (iii) Standardization of superstructure drawings for various combinations  of  span,  skewness  and  width  of  road  on  Railway portion  has  been  done  to  avoid  delays  during  the  design  approval. This  has  been  issued  in  the  form  of  compendium,  which  can  be directly  adopted  for  Road  Over  Bridge  across  Railway  lines  for expeditious planning.
- (iv) ROB/RUB works are planned to be executed on a single entity basis by Railway wherever possible. In case any Road Owning

authority/State Govt. wants, then       Railway may permit them to execute the work on a single entity basis. Railways  have  taken  several  safety  measures  for  construction  of ROBs/RUBs. This includes proper alignment of approaches with proper carriage  way  width  and  provision  of  foot  path  wherever  possible.  In addition,  provision  of  proper  road  surface,  standard  signage,  safety fencing,  road  marking,  lighting,  along  with  speed  breaker  as  per requirements have also been provided in ROBs/RUBs. Railways have also taken several remedial measures to mitigate the problem  of  water  logging.  Adequate  drainage  arrangement  has  been made as integral part of planning of new Road Under Bridge (RUB)/Subways.  In existing RUBs/subways  remedial  measures  like water  flow  diversion  to  nearby  bridge  and  nallahs/drains,  provision  of cover shed on approach roads, provision of hump at entry to Road under Bridge (RUB), provision of cross drains, sealing of joints etc. have been made as  per  feasibility,  suitability  and  site  requirements.  In  addition, pumping arrangement has also been made for identified RUBs, to drain out water expeditiously in case of emergency and provision to stop road traffic in exceptional/unusual rainfall situation for safety of road users.

Completion & commissioning of ROB/RUB works depends on various factors  like  cooperation  of   State  Governments  in  giving   consent  for closure  of  LC,   fixing  of  approach  alignment,  approval  of  General Arrangement Drawing (GAD), land acquisition, removal of encroachment, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities,  law and order situation in the area of project / work sites,  duration of working season in a year for the particular project / area   due  to  climatic  conditions  etc.   All  these  factors  affect  the completion time of the projects / works.

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