Progress on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, also known as the bullet train project, is proceeding rapidly, with officials reporting the construction of three river bridges in Gujarat within a month. The National High-Speed Rail Corridor (NHSRCL), responsible for building the high-speed corridor, confirmed that four out of the 24 bridges have been completed in the past six months.
The NHSRCL released a statement stating, “Out of these four bridges, we have successfully constructed three bridges located between Bilimora and Surat stations in Navsari district within a month. The corridor has a total of 24 river bridges, with 20 in Gujarat and the remaining in Maharashtra.”
Bullet Train: Progress report of the bridges
The first bridge, spanning the Purna River, has been completed, followed by the Mindhola River bridge and the Ambika River bridge. Notably, the longest bridge in Gujarat, measuring 1.2 kilometers, is being built over the Narmada River, while the longest bridge in Maharashtra, spanning 2.28 kilometers, is being constructed over the Vaitarna River.
Rajendra Prasad, Managing Director of NHSRCL, emphasized the need for meticulous planning during the construction of river bridges. He explained, “Our engineers worked at a height of 26 meters for the construction of the Ambika River bridge. During the construction of the Mindhola and Purna River bridges, we closely monitored the tides of the Arabian Sea.”
The NHSRCL highlighted the challenges faced during construction, such as the continuous monitoring of high and low tides during the construction of the 360-meter-long Purna River bridge. They also mentioned the steep slope of the river bank, which posed a challenge for the 200-meter-long Ambika River bridge.
When will the bullet train project completed?
Additionally, work on eight high-speed rail stations in Gujarat, including Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati, is underway at various stages of construction.
The NHSRCL expects to launch the first phase of the bullet train project in 2026.