Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train: NHSRCL awards last civil package contract of project

With this, all the three civil packages of the Maharashtra portion: Construction of Mumbai (Bandra Kurla Complex) station (C1), 21 km of tunnel, including 7 km undersea tunnel (C2) and 135 km of alignment (C3), have been awarded.

MAHSR Viaduct construction work in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (Express photo)

This also marks the award of all the 11 civil packages of the 508-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Corridor, comprising 465-km-long viaducts, 12 high speed rail stations, three rolling stock depots, 28 steel bridges comprising 10 km of viaduct, 24 river bridges, nine tunnels, including a 7-km-long India’s first undersea tunnel.

The Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet train project has been divided into 28 contract packages, out of which 11 are civil packages, which were awarded in a span of 33 months.

The first civil contract for the construction of 237 km viaducts, including four stations (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat and Bharuch) and the Surat rolling stock depot in the state of Gujarat was awarded on October 28, 2020, which was also the largest civil contract awarded in India. The last civil contract of the 135-km viaduct with three stations (Thane, Virar and Boisar) in the state of Maharashtra was awarded on July 19.

Meanwhile, to expedite the construction of viaducts, for the first time in India, full span girders of 40 metre length weighing 970 tonne have been launched through one of a kind full span launching equipment set: Straddle Carrier, Bridge Gantry, Girder Transporter and Girder Launcher, which are designed and manufactured in India. This technology is about 10 times faster than the conventional segment launching technology and has provided a new dimension to the construction industry.

A full span launching gantry at work in Valsad, Gujarat. (Express photo)

This mega infrastructure project is expected to consume 1.6 crore cubic metre of cement and 17 lakh metric tonne of steel and will act as a catalyst to give the cement and steel industries a boost.

The tenders for track works for the complete bullet train section in Gujarat i.e. 352 km out of a total 508 km have also been awarded.

The training of Indian Engineers and Work Leaders for High-Speed Rail Track system for the said corridor has already started. About 1,000 engineers/work leaders/technicians are planned to be trained in the specially created facility at the Surat Depot. Around 20 Japanese experts will impart intensive training to the Indian engineers, supervisors and technicians and certify their skills.

Additional details of package C-3:

• Total length 135 km (Between Shilphata & Zaroli village on Maharashtra -Gujarat Border)

• Viaduct and Bridges: 124 km

• Bridges and Crossings: 36 Nos. including 12 steel bridges

• Stations: 3 nos. namely Thane, Virar and Boisar (all elevated)

• Mountain tunnels: 6 nos.

• River Bridges: Ulhas River, Vaitarna and Jagani, longest bridge (2.28 km) of MAHSR project will be on Vaitarna river

Project Progress in Maharashtra:

· All civil packages (C1, C2 and C3) have been awarded

· Preliminary works for construction of Mumbai station and 21 km tunnel between Mumbai station and Shilphata have been started.

Land Acquisition Status:

Overall: – 99.45%

Gujarat: – 99.30%

Dadra and Nagar Haveli: – 100%

Maharashtra: – 99.79%