Infrastructure
Bullet Train Project: Over 76,000 Segments To Be Cast For Tunnel Between Bandra Kurla Complex And Shilphata
The casting and stacking operations for these segments are being carried out at a specially commissioned yard in Mahape (NHSRCL)
A 21-kilometre tunnel, forming a crucial part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project, is currently under construction between the Bandra Kurla Complex and Shilphata.
The construction of this project involves two distinct tunnelling methods: 16 kilometres will be excavated using three tunnel boring machines (TBMs), while the remaining 5 kilometres will be constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).
To build the 16-kilometre TBM section, a total of 76,940 precast concrete segments will be manufactured, forming 7,441 complete rings. Each segment is bolted or keyed together to form a complete ring, which is then sequentially assembled as the TBM advances.
Segments, the precast concrete elements used in tunnel construction, are crucial for forming the tunnel's lining. They are assembled within the tunnel to create a continuous, stable structure that supports the tunnel walls and helps manage groundwater and soil pressure.
Each ring, essential for the tunnel's lining, is composed of nine curved segments and one key segment, each measuring 2 metres in width and 0.5 metres in thickness.
The casting and stacking operations for these segments are being carried out at a specially commissioned yard in Mahape, Thane district, Maharashtra.
This facility spans 98,898 square metres (9.9 hectares) and is equipped with nine sets of moulds, each containing 10 pieces. Four of these mould sets are already being installed on-site.
The yard also features a range of cranes, gantries, and machines to automate and mechanise the casting process, ensuring high-quality assurance during the production and stacking of the segments, reports Times Of India.
The high-speed rail operating at 320 kmph will traverse along west India’s landscape, covering a 508.17 km distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just about two hours.
This will save time compared to current travel time between the two terminal stations by about nine hours (by bus) or six hours (by conventional railways).
It will cover 155.76 km in Maharashtra, 4.3 km in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 348.04 km in Gujarat, with 12 stations en route.
