National High Speed Rail Corporation signs contract with L&T for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project would employ a ballastless slab track system, which is the same technology used in Japan’s Shinkansen network.

Written by Siddhant Konduskar

Mumbai | September 11, 2025 05:33 PM IST

3 min read

The project would employ a ballastless slab track system, which is the same technology used in Japan’s Shinkansen network. (Representational/File photo)

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) Thursday signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for track work and track-related work on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project in Maharashtra. The contract includes design, supply, construction, testing, and commissioning of the double-line high-speed railway track over a 157 km stretch between the Mumbai terminal and Zaroli village at the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. The package comprises track work at four stations and the rolling stock facility at Thane.

“This contract is important for the project’s advancement in Maharashtra, where work is picking up pace. While track laying in Gujarat is already in progress over 200 km of viaduct, this is the first significant track contract awarded on the Maharashtra section,” an NHSRCL spokesperson said.

The project would employ a ballastless slab track system, which is the same technology used in Japan’s Shinkansen network. The system consists of four components: reinforced concrete (RC) track bed, cement asphalt mortar (CAM), precast track slabs, and rails with fasteners.

As a part of Japan’s knowledge transfer, Indian supervisors, technicians, and engineers have been subjected to rigorous training. Training in 15 modules, such as manufacturing of track slab, construction of RC track bed, slab laying, and application of CAM, was conducted under a memorandum signed with the Japan Railway Technical Service (JARTS).

“A total of 436 engineers in Gujarat have already received certification under this program. The training sessions of a similar nature will be conducted in Maharashtra prior to track laying work,” the NHSRCL spokesperson added.

The bullet train project, officially known as the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, is India’s first high-speed railway project. With the track contracts now finalised for Gujarat and Maharashtra as well, the attention is likely to be diverted towards accelerating installation works so that the project can be on track with its updated timelines.

The NHSRCL said the bullet train project has achieved several milestones till September 8. Viaduct construction is done across more than 320 km, while pier work extends to 397 km and pier foundations to 408 km. Seventeen river bridges, nine steel bridges, and five pre-stressed concrete (PSC) bridges have been erected. Noise barriers over 203 km in length have also been commissioned.

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Furthermore, 202 km of track bed is already completed, together with the fitment of 1,800 overhead equipment (OHE) masts over a 44 km section of the mainline viaduct.

In Maharashtra, work is progressing on the 21 km tunnel between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata. Excavation has also begun for the seven mountain tunnels in Palghar district. At Mumbai’s underground station, base slab casting is underway, while construction at three elevated stations in the state has started. In Gujarat, superstructure work on all stations has entered advanced stages.

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