Ahmedabad: The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has completed the launching of its 10th steel bridge in Ahmedabad. Spanning 60 meters in length, the bridge was launched over a Western Railway facility (laundry) located adjacent to the railway tracks. With months of meticulous planning and preparation, the bridge launching was completed with precision in just 7 hours. It is the first steel bridge launched in Ahmedabad district for the project, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said in a press release.

For transverse launching of this bridge, it was assembled at a height of 16.5 metres from the ground on temporary trestles and was then side-slewed using two semi-automatic jacks of 200-ton capacity each, supported by locking trolleys for stability.

This 485 metric ton bridge, measuring 12 metres in height and 11.4 metres in width, was fabricated at a dedicated workshop in Wardha (Nagpur, Maharashtra) and was transported to Ahmedabad using specially designed trailers. The bridge construction utilized approximately 20360 Tor-Shear Type High Strength (TTHS) bolts, coated with C5 system protective painting and elastomeric bearings for enhanced durability and vibration control.

A temporary platform measuring 35×60 metres was constructed for assembly of the main structure. To strengthen the track beam during transverse movement, additional temporary brackets were installed. In total, 14 skid arrangements were utilised out of which four were specifically for the transverse launching.

Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train viaduct in Ahmedabad will pass through 31 crossings including railway tracks, flyovers, canal, one river bridge crossing at Sabarmati River and six steel bridges.

A total 28 steel bridges are planned for the entire corridor, out of which 17 are in Gujarat and 11 in Maharashtra.

Details of completed steel bridges