Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Six Out Of 17 Planned Steel Bridges In Gujarat Section Completed

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has successfully installed a steel bridge over four railway tracks—two belonging to Western Railways and two to the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)—between Kim and Sayan for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.

The bridge also spans an irrigation canal, making it a crucial part of the high-speed rail corridor.

The bridge consists of two spans measuring 100 meters and 60 meters, which are designed to support a double-line standard gauge rail track.

The 100-meter span was installed over the Western Railway and DFC tracks between 28 January and 5 February, while the 60-meter span will be erected over the adjacent irrigation canal.

This infrastructure is a key component of the bullet train route, ensuring smooth connectivity across existing railway networks.

For launching the 100-meter-long steel bridge, which weighs 1,432 metric tonnes, an 84-meter-long launching nose weighing 525 metric tonnes was used.

The bridge was fabricated at an RDSO-approved workshop in Bhuj, Gujarat, and transported to the site by road.

It was assembled at a height of 14.5 meters from the ground on a temporary structure at the Ahmedabad end of the site.

Using an automatic mechanism with two semi-automatic jacks, each with a 250-ton capacity, the bridge was carefully pulled into position. The piers supporting this section stand 12 meters tall.

To ensure long-term durability, the bridge assembly incorporated approximately 60,000 high-strength Tor-Shear Type bolts, engineered for a lifespan of 100 years.

The two spans have been coated with a C5 system painting for corrosion resistance and will rest on elastomeric bearings to absorb movements and vibrations.

The installation was completed in phases with intermittent traffic blocks on both Western Railway and DFC tracks.

These measures were necessary to maintain safety while minimising disruption to regular train and freight operations.

This steel bridge is the sixth to be installed as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.

Out of the 17 steel bridges planned in Gujarat, five have already been completed in Surat, Anand, Vadodara (Mumbai Expressway), Silvassa (Dadra & Nagar Haveli), and Vadodara, according to the NHSRCL.

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