Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train hits major milestone; 100 km viaducts, 230 km pier work completed

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The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) made significant progress on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project; they announced the completion of 100 kilometres of viaducts and 230 kilometres of pier work, stated a report in PTI.

According to the report, the NHSRCL statement released on Thursday stated that the deployment of 40-meter-long 'full span box girders' and ' segmental girders' was necessary to accomplish the construction of 100 kilometres of viaducts. A video describing this accomplishment was shared by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The six rivers in Gujarat that are crossed by the viaducts are the Purna, Mindhola, Ambika, Venganiya, and Par in the Navsari district and the Auranga and Par in the Valsad district.

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"The first girder of the project was launched on November 25, 2021, while the first kilometre of the viaduct was ready in six months on June 30, 2022. It achieved the construction of 50 kilometres of the viaduct on April 22, 2023 and, thereafter, in six months 100 kilometres of viaduct were completed," the NHSRCL said, adding, "The Full Span Launching technique (FSLM), where 40-metre long box girders are launched by state-of-the-art equipment, is being used along with span-by-span launching of segments. FSLM is 10 times faster than the span-by-span method, which is normally used to build metro viaducts."

The NHSRCL provided a timeline of the project's development, stating that the first girder will be launched on November 25, 2021, and the first kilometre of the viaduct will be completed in six months by June 30, 2022. Then, the rate of construction accelerated, reaching 50 kilometres by April 22, 2023, and 100 kilometres in the next six months.

The company described how to use the Full Span Launching technique (FSLM), which uses cutting-edge machinery to launch 40-meter-long box girders at a pace that is ten times faster than with the traditional span-by-span approach.

Along with the construction of the viaducts, 250 kilometres of pier work have been completed. Additionally, noise barriers have been installed along the viaducts. Furthermore, the first reinforced concrete (RC) track bed, similar to the Shinkansen in Japan, is being laid in Surat.

The total cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor project is Rs 1.08 lakh crore, of which Rs 10,000 crore is contributed by the Union government and Rs 5,000 crore each by Gujarat and Maharashtra. A loan from Japan with an interest rate of 0.1 per cent is used to pay for the remaining costs.

With its launch in Ahmedabad in September 2017, the bullet train project is expected to revolutionise high-speed rail transportation in the area by travelling over 500 km in about two hours.

With PTI inputs