300 km of viaducts completed for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: railway minister
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Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday that 300 kilometres of viaducts have been completed as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
Sharing a video of the construction progress, Vaishnaw highlighted the use of the Full Span Launching Method (FSLM) for rapid execution.
The 508-km high-speed rail corridor is being implemented by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL). According to the NHSRCL, the 300-km milestone was achieved with the launch of a 40-metre-long girder near Surat in Gujarat.
Of the 300 km of superstructure, 257.4 km were built using the FSLM—an advanced technique that allows for girder erection up to ten times faster than traditional segmental methods. In addition, 37.8 km were constructed using the Span by Span (SBS) method, 0.9 km comprised steel bridges (10 spans between 60 and 130 metres across 7 bridges), 1.2 km were pre-stressed concrete (PSC) bridges (20 spans between 40 and 80 metres in 5 bridges), and 2.7 km were completed in station areas.
The NHSRCL also reported that 383 km of pier work, 401 km of foundation work, and 326 km of girder casting have been completed.
The bullet train project will link Mumbai and Ahmedabad with a total of 12 stations—nine in Gujarat and three in Maharashtra.
While the Mumbai station will be underground, the rest will be elevated. The stations include Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.
The entire project is estimated to cost ₹1.08 lakh crore. Of this, the Central government will contribute ₹10,000 crore to NHSRCL, while Gujarat and Maharashtra will each contribute ₹5,000 crore.
Last month, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.