Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: 480-metre, 36-metre-tall Sabarmati bridge completed as project gains pace

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Saturday said it has completed construction of a 480-metre-long, 36-metre-tall bridge over the Sabarmati River for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, marking the completion of one of the corridor's major structures.

The bridge, which stands at around 118 feet, equivalent to the height of a 12-storey building, is located between the Sabarmati and Ahmedabad bullet train stations. It is about 1 km from Sabarmati station and 4 km from Ahmedabad station, NHSRCL said in a release.

The structure runs adjacent to Western Railway's Ahmedabad-Delhi main line, which is about 14.8 metres above ground level. Its piers were designed with increased height to meet the required vertical clearances from existing infrastructure, the rail corporation said.

Five 76-metre spans reduce riverbed piers

The bridge is supported by eight circular piers, each measuring between 6 metres and 6.5 metres in diameter. Four piers are located within the riverbed, while two are positioned on the riverbanks and two outside the riverbanks.

The placement of the piers has been designed to minimise obstruction to the river waterway, NHSRCL said.

Unlike most river bridges on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor, which generally have spans of around 40 metres, the Sabarmati bridge uses longer spans ranging from 50 metres to 76 metres. This has helped reduce the number of piers required within the riverbed.

The bridge comprises seven spans in total, including five spans of 76 metres each and two spans of 50 metres each. Each span consists of 23 segments cast in-situ at the construction site, with the construction process involving precision engineering, skilled manpower and quality checks at every stage, NHSRCL said.

Balanced cantilever method used for construction

The bridge was built using the Balanced Cantilever Method, a specialised technique used for constructing long-span bridges over rivers and deep waterways. The method allows the superstructure to be built without conventional scaffolding below the deck.

Under the technique, segments are sequentially erected from the piers and joined through post-tensioning. Construction is carried out in a balanced manner on either side of each pier to form a stable and continuous bridge deck.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail alignment crosses several existing infrastructure facilities, including flyovers, bridges, railway lines and metro corridors.

The corridor has 25 river bridges, including 21 in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra. Of the 21 river bridges planned in Gujarat, 18 have now been completed, NHSRCL said.

(With inputs from PTI)