300 km of viaducts completed for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: NHSRCL

With the launch of a 40 metre-long girder near Surat in Gujarat, 300 km of viaducts for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project has been completed, the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) said on Tuesday.

According to the NHSRCL, of the 300 km of the superstructure, 257.4 km is constructed through the Full Span Launching Method (FSLM), including 14 river bridges, 37.8 km through Span by Span (SBS), 0.9 km of steel bridges (10 spans ranging from 60 to 130 m in 7 bridges), 1.2 km PSC bridges (20 spans ranging from 40 to 80 metres in 5 bridges) and 2.7 km in station building.

Besides the viaducts, 383 km of pier work, 401 km of foundation and 326 km of girder casting has been completed for the 508-km bullet train project, the agency said.

FSLM has significantly accelerated construction, as full-span girder erection is up to 10 times faster than conventional segmental methods, NHSRCL said.

Each full-span box girder weighs 970 metric tonnes, and segmental girders are used selectively in locations where full-span installation is not feasible.

To facilitate construction, 27 dedicated casting yards were established along the corridor. Steel bridges are fabricated in seven workshops spread across the country, three in Gujarat, one each in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, the NHSRCL said.

The agency said more than 3 lakh noise barriers have been installed along the viaducts to mitigate noise during operations. Track works over viaducts have also started, and around 157 track km of RC (reinforced concrete) track bed construction has been achieved so far in Gujarat. 

It further said that thematic Bullet Train stations are also rapidly taking shape. These stations will be integrated with rail and road-based transport systems to provide seamless travel to passengers and will be equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities.

"The project has supported the use of indigenously designed and manufactured equipment such as straddle carriers, launching gantries, bridge gantries, and girder transporters for construction," NHSRCL stated, adding that this marks a first for Indian infrastructure, showcasing India's growing capabilities in high-speed rail technology with the support from the Japanese government.

The total cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor project is pegged at Rs 1.08 lakh crore, and as per the shareholding pattern, the Government of India is to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved, Gujarat and Maharashtra, are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each.

The rest is to be paid by Japan through a loan at 0.1 per cent interest.