Mega Girder, Mega Milestone: Maharashtra Powers Up India’s Bullet Train Revolution

In an Indian infrastructure first, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) successfully launched India's heaviest-ever pre-stressed concrete (PSC) box girder for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed bullet train project in Maharashtra. The Sakhare village in Dahanu launch is a leap in the construction of India's first high-speed rail corridor and creates new engineering standards for the country's construction industry.

 

Key Highlights

Breakthrough Engineering Achievement:

The record-breaking 40-meter-long box girder PSC weighs a whopping 970 metric tonnes, the biggest ever used in Indian construction. It's a single, monolithic girder cast, 390 cubic meters of concrete and 42 metric tonnes of steel used—without even one construction joint.

 

Faster Construction, State-of-the-Art Technology:

The use of full-span girders enables construction to be progressed at 10 times the rate of traditional segmental construction. Local heavy equipment with specialized uses—straddle carriers, bridge launching gantries, and girder transporters—is being used for easy installation.

 

Strategic Corridor Development:

 

The Mumbai portion of the 508-kilometre Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor is 156 km, made up of a mix of underground, elevated, and tunnel alignments. The key elements are:

 

State-of-the-art facilities

 

Thirteen casting yards have been developed between Shilphata and Gujarat-Maharashtra border of which five are already operational. The yards have advanced hydraulic molds, batching plants, and quality control labs to ensure high standards and rapid production.

 

Project Milestones and Future Outlook: The full-span girder technology has already enabled construction of 307 km of Gujarat viaduct since April 2021. Work in Maharashtra includes slab castings of Virar and Boisar stations. The technology-enabled bullet train project, developed with Japanese technical assistance and funding, is set to reduce Mumbai-Ahmedabad travel time considerably and revolutionize Indian railway travel. "Full-span girders are a game changer for the bullet train corridor. They enable construction up to 10 times quicker than segmental girders, greatly accelerating project implementation." — NHSRCL Official

 

Source

The Free Press Journal, The Economic Times, Mathrubhumi, Newsweek