Bullet Train Project Shoots Forward, 10th River Bridge Ready in Gujarat

A bridge on Vatrak river in Kheda district for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR) has been completed in Gujarat, as the project inches closer towards the finish line. This is the tenth river bridge in Gujarat for the project, an official statement announced on Wednesday.

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said that the bridge was completed on Tuesday, and it is 280 metres long, consisting of seven full-span girders of 40 metres each.

“This bridge is in between Anand and Ahmedabad Bullet Train station. Another completed river bridge between the two stations is Mohar River,” the statement added.

There will be 24 river bridges for the bullet train project and this is the tenth one completed.

“The river originates in the hills of Dungarpur, Rajasthan and enters in Gujarat near village Moydi of Meghraj taluka. Vatrak river is 25 kms from Anand Bullet Train station and 30 kms from Ahmedabad Bullet Train station,” the statement said.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has a total of 24 river bridges in Gujarat alone. The other completed bridges are on Par river in Valsad, Purna, Mindhola, Venganiya, and Ambika rivers in Navsari district, Kolak river bridge and Auranga in Valsad, Mohar in Kheda district, and Dhadhar in Vadodara. Work on other bridges on Narmada, Tapti, Mahi, and Sabarmati are in progress.

The foundation work on all eight stations in Gujarat for India’s first bullet train service has been completed. The eight stations in the state are Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.

The river bridge for this project on the Narmada will be the longest followed by those on the Tapi and Mahi rivers.

The work on the project started in September 2017. Initially, it was expected that it would be completed by December 2023. However, the project is delayed and now one of the stretches could be started around 2026.

The total length of the project is 508 km covering 12 stations across three states – 156 km in Maharashtra, 4 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and 384 km in Gujarat.

The high-speed trains on the corridor will operate at 320 km/hour. As per the plans, there will be 35 trains per day from one direction, with a frequency of 20 minutes in peak hours and 30 minutes in non-peak hours. It is a limited-stop project and the operational control centre for the corridor will be located in Sabarmati.