The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has achieved another key construction milestone with the successful launching of a 130-metre steel bridge span over National Highway-64 and the Bharuch–Dahej freight railway line near Kanthariya village in Gujarat’s Bharuch district.
The steel bridge forms part of a 230-metre-long continuous structure, comprising two spans of 130 metres and 100 metres. The 130-metre span was launched on December 9, 2025, marking one of the longest steel bridge launches undertaken for the high-speed rail corridor so far.
Heavy engineering operation completed in 12 hours
Standing around 18 metres high and nearly 15 metres wide, the launched span weighs approximately 2,780 metric tonnes. Fabricated at a specialised facility in Bhuj, Gujarat, the steel superstructure has been designed for a 100-year service life. The bridge uses more than 1.22 lakh Tor-Shear Type High Strength bolts, advanced C5 system painting, and metallic bearings to enhance durability.
The span was assembled on temporary trestles at a height of 14 metres and pushed into position using two semi-automatic jacks, each with a lifting capacity of 250 tonnes, supported by mac-alloy bars. The entire launching activity was completed within 12 hours, with carefully coordinated traffic diversions on NH-64 and temporary blocks on the freight railway line to ensure safety and precision.
Multiple steel bridges completed across Gujarat corridor
With this launch, the project has completed several major steel bridges across Gujarat, including structures over National Highway-53 in Surat, the Vadodara–Ahmedabad railway line near Nadiad, the Delhi–Mumbai National Expressway near Vadodara, and multiple crossings over Western Railways and Dedicated Freight Corridor tracks.
Other completed bridges include crossings near Silvassa, Ahmedabad, and Bharuch, with span lengths ranging from 60 metres to 230 metres and individual bridge weights exceeding 4,300 metric tonnes in some locations. The remaining 100-metre span of the NH-64 and Bharuch–Dahej crossing is currently under progress.
The successful launch of the 130-metre steel span is considered a key milestone due to its scale, technical complexity, precision execution over active transport corridors and its role in advancing critical bridge works on the Bullet Train alignment.