Bullet train project: Steel bridge launched over freight corridor in Vadodara, seventh so far in Gujarat

NHSRCL said that the launching of the bridge across two tracks of the freight corridor was completed on Tuesday, within 12 hours, with intermittent traffic blocks.

The NHSRCL said, “These traffic blocks were essential to ensure the safety and precision of the bridge launch, which was carried out in phases to minimise disruption to freight services…”

Out of the total 28 steel bridges in the entire stretch between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, 17 will be located in Gujarat.

Calling it a “Make in India” steel bridge, the NHSRCL said, “The construction of these seven steel bridges has utilised over 10,000 metric tonnes of steel, providing a significant boost to the steel industries in India. This 674 MT steel bridge of 13 m height and 14 m width has been fabricated at the workshop in Durgapur, West Bengal, and was transported on trailers to the site for installation. The bridge is launched using a 49-meter-long launching nose, which weighs around 204 metric tonnes.”

The NHSRCL further said that the bridge fabrication utilised approximately 28,800 Tor-Shear Type High Strength (TTHS) bolts with C5 system (corrosion-resistant industrial category) painting and elastomeric bearings, all designed for a 100-year lifespan. “The steel bridge was assembled at the site at a height of 18 m from the ground on temporary trestles and was pulled with an automatic mechanism, comprising two semi-automatic jacks, each of capacity of 250 tonne, using mac-alloy bars,” NHSRCL said.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor also has 21 river bridges in Gujarat, of which 14 have been completed so far.