BIG update in Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project; 11th steel bridge launched in…, bullet train to be operational in…

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will operate on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR).

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: In a major development in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has launched the 11th steel bridge for the project in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district, weighing about 670 metric tons, measuring 13 metres in height and 14.1 metres in width.

Who built the steel bridge?

According to official release from NHSRCL, the steel bridge was fabricated in a workshop at Navsari and transported to the site using heavy duty trailers, where it was assembled adjacent to the Cadilla flyover and Indian Railway tracks on specially designed steel staging positioned 16.5 metres above the ground level.

The NHSRCL said the steel bridge is is constructed with approximately 29,300 Tor-Shear Type High Strength (TTHS) bolts and coated with C5 system painting for enhanced durability.

Notably, the a total of 28 steel bridges are planned for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR), out of which 17 are in Gujarat and 11 in Maharashtra, NHSRCL said.

When will Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train be operational?

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR) aka Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR is an under-construction high-speed rail corridor, which will connect Mumbai, Maharashtra, with Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest city. The MAHSR will be India’s first high-speed rail line, with a top speed of 320 km per hour (200 mph).

The high-speed rail line, which is being developed by National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, the Ministry of Railways and the Government of India, will use Shinkansen technology from Japan, including rolling stock, signalling and design standards – with technology transfer to support the Make in India programme, according to officials.

Once completed, the bullet train will usher in a new era of fast and efficient travel in India. The MAHSR will connect 12 stations, including major cities and towns in Maharashtra and Gujarat, like Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad, covering a distance of 508 kilometers.

India’s first bullet train- trial run in August next year

Meanwhile, last week, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the inaugural run of India’s first bullet train on the MAHSR will take place in August 2027, and has now been extended to cover a 100 km distance between Surat and Vapi in Gujarat.

Vaishnaw said the bullet train, India’s first, will operate on the corridor at a speed of 320 kmph, covering the 508-km distance between the two vital industrial cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai in just 2 hours.

During his Gujarat visit early this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the under-construction bullet train station in Surat to review the progress of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.

(With inputs from agencies)