Maha-Guj bullet train: 100 km of viaducts, 230 km pier work completed

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is building the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor, has said that 100 kilometres of viaducts and 230 kilometres of pier work had been completed for the ambitious project.

The milestone of construction of 100 km of viaducts has been achieved through launching of 40-metre long 'full span box girders' and 'segmental girders', the NHSRCL said on Thursday.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw uploaded a video on X to give information about the feat.

According to the NHSRCL, the viaducts include bridges over six Gujarat rivers, namely Par and Auranga in Valsad district, as well as Purna, Mindhola, Ambika and Venganiya in Navsari district.

"The first girder of the project was launched on November 25, 2021, while the first kilometre of viaduct was ready in six months on June 30, 2022. It achieved construction of 50 kilometres of viaduct on April 22, 2023 and, thereafter, in six months 100 kilometres of viaduct were completed," the NHSRCL said.

"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," it added.

According to the NHSRCL, apart from the viaduct work, 250 kilometres of pier work has also been completed for the project, while installation of noise barriers has begun along the constructed viaduct.

"Besides this, the laying of the first reinforced concrete (RC) track bed for the Mumbai Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor track system as used in the Japanese Shinkansen has also started in Surat," the NHSRCL said.

The total cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor project is pegged at Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

As per the shareholding pattern, the Union government will pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while Gujarat and Maharashtra are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each.

The rest of the cost is by way of a loan at 0.1 per cent interest from Japan.

The foundation of the bullet train project was laid in Ahmedabad in September 2017. The train is expected to cover a distance of more than 500 km in around two hours.