Indian Railways has 1.39 lakh bridges out of which as many as 35,437 are more than 100 years old, it was recently informed in Parliament. However, old bridges do not necessarily mean weak bridges. 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 and one detailed inspection after the monsoon. In addition, the detailed technical inspection of certain bridges is also carried out at specified periodicity by the designated officials. Repair/strengthening/rehabilitation/rebuilding of bridges is a continuous process and is undertaken whenever so warranted by their physical condition as ascertained during these inspections and not on the basis of age. During the last five years, 4338 bridges have been repaired/strengthened/rehabilitated/rebuilt on Indian Railways.
