Construction of a 130m long steel bridge on the Delhi-Mumbai National Expressway as a part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project has been completed as of June 23, 2024.

The bridge measures 18m in height and is 14.9 metres wide. It was constructed in Maharashtra’s Wardha workshop, after the completion of which it was transported to the site for installation. The precision required for this project is immense, given its substantial weight. To minimise obstruction to road traffic, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said the bridge had been given a 24-hour window to utilise to complete construction. It had also been given intermittent breaks to allow road traffic to pass.

bullet train project
Image Source: nhsrcl.in

The construction utilised an impressive 124,246 torque-shear type high-strength bolts, designed to endure for more than a century. It is positioned 15m above ground on temporary supports and was moved into place using a semi-automatic system with powerful jacks, reinforced by Mac-allow bars for stability and safety, effectively guaranteeing a lifespan of at least a hundred years.

Make in India Initiative in the Bullet Train Project

Built under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the project has entirely used India’s own technical and physical resources. For the first time in India, the Japanese Shinkansen-inspired J-slab ballast-less track system is being used. This means a smoother ride, reduced maintenance, and is generally safer. “Leveraging Japanese expertise, India is increasingly utilising its own technical and material resources to build infrastructure under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The steel bridge for the Bullet Train Project is a major example of this effort,” the official added.

“The steel bridge was assembled at the site at a height of 15m from the ground on temporary trestles and was pulled with automatic mechanism of two semi-automatic jacks, each of capacity of 250 tonne using mac-allow bars,” an official said.

Built under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the project has entirely used India’s own technical and physical. For the first time in India, the Japanese Shinkansen-inspired J-slab ballast-less track system is being used. This means a smoother ride, reduced maintenance and is generally safer.

“Leveraging Japanese expertise, India is increasingly utilising its own technical and material resources to build infrastructure under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The steel bridge for the Bullet Train Project is a major example of this effort,” the official added.

This is only a third out of the 28 steel bridges completed for the bullet train project. The first has already been erected, stretching a 70m across National Highway 53 in Surat. Another feat achieved during this project has been the first 350m mountain tunnel in Valsad district, Gujarat.

Steel bridges are better suited for the job of connecting roads across highways, expressways and railway lines. Concrete bridges are better for mostly everything else, including rivers.

The official also said, “India has the expertise of fabricating steel bridges for heavy haul and semi high-speed trains which run between 100kmph and 160kmph. Now, the same expertise in fabrication of steel girders is implemented on the bullet train corridor too which will have a staggering operational speed of 320kmph.”

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