Mumbai, Nov. 1 -- The demolition of the British-era Elphinstone Bridge's railway portion is set to begin Sunday night and is expected to be completed by January, according to officials from the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC). The 112-year-old bridge was closed to vehicular traffic on September 12, after which its approach roads were demolished over the past seven weeks. Only a 132-metre stretch that runs above the railway tracks now remains. "This Sunday, we will mobilise men and machinery to initiate demolition work of the bridge that presently stands above active railway lines," said an MRIDC official involved in the project. The bridge, which linked the congested Parel and Prabhadevi areas in central Mumbai, is being razed to make way for the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor, a key east-west connector being built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). MRIDC, a joint venture between the Maharashtra government and the Ministry of Railways, is responsible for demolishing and rebuilding the section passing over the railway lines. This work will begin once the debris from the dismantled approach roads is cleared this weekend, officials said. The site needs to be cleared to allow two 800-metric-tonne cranes to reach the location and begin removing the iron girders. The corporation has received a go-ahead from Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) to proceed with demolishing the bridge portion passing over the tracks. "A total of 78 rail blocks will be required to carry out such a challenging task. Each of the blocks will be four hours in duration," the MRIDC official said. The exact extent of disruption to suburban and long-distance rail services has not yet been announced. CR and WR are expected to issue details in the coming weeks, including potential short terminations or cancellations on weekends to facilitate the demolition. Meanwhile, MRIDC is yet to resolve a payment dispute with WR over way-leave charges - fees for using railway land. While CR has sought Rs.10 crore, WR has demanded Rs.59.14 crore, pending approval from MMRDA. As the dispute remains unresolved, the dismantling of the railway portion will commence from the eastern side, which falls under CR's jurisdiction, officials said. Built in 1913, the Elphinstone Bridge, originally called Parel Bridge, was designed for a much smaller population. Over the decades, as Mumbai's population surged to an estimated 21 million, the structure struggled to keep pace with the city's growth, leading to severe congestion and safety concerns. The bridge will be replaced by a double-decker structure that is part of the upcoming 4.5-km Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor. The lower deck will feature four lanes, two in each direction, connecting Senapati Bapat Road in the west and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road in the east, along with a pavement for pedestrians. The upper deck will also have four lanes, two in each direction, connecting the Bandra-Worli Sea Link with the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (Atal Setu). An open web girder design has been finalised for the railway portion. The railway section's reconstruction is estimated to cost Rs.167.35 crore, while the overall Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor project is budgeted at Rs.1,286 crore. The corridor is slated for completion by December 2026, officials said....