Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Accelerates India's Cement Industry, 78 Lakh Cubic Metre Concrete Used So Far

The construction of India's first bullet train, built with Japan's support and based on the Shinkansen, is providing a major boost to the cement and construction industry while providing employment opportunities.

According to official data, approximately 20,000 cubic metres of cement concrete — equivalent to eight 10-story buildings — is being used daily for the bullet train project in Gujarat and Maharashtra. To date, about 78 lakh cubic metres of concreting work has been completed using 13 lakh large transit mixers.

“This scale of work is made possible with the dedicated working of about 20,000 workmen every day for the past two-and-a-half years resulting in significant employment generation,” stated the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Wednesday.

To undertake this massive project, 65 specially designed and manufactured concrete batching plants have been set up along the corridor.

Batching plants are facilities where concrete ingredients are proportioned, mixed, and prepared according to specific project requirements. They offer flexibility in creating custom concrete mixes tailored to project needs.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, spanning 508 kilometres with 12 stations, 24 river bridges, eight mountain tunnels, and one undersea tunnel, is "an infrastructural marvel in the making," noted the NHSRCL in its press release.

This mega infrastructure project is expected to consume 1.6 crore cubic metres of cement and 17 lakh metric tonnes of steel, acting as a catalyst for the cement and steel industries.

The NHSRCL aims to complete the bullet train project by 2028, with the train expected to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to three hours.