In a major milestone for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, a 100-metre-long ‘Make in India’ steel bridge has been successfully completed in Ahmedabad district, marking continued progress on India’s first bullet train corridor. This is the 13th steel bridge completed in Gujarat, out of a total of 17 steel bridges planned in the state.
The milestone reflects Indian Railways’ commitment to safe, modern, and passenger-centric infrastructure, while ensuring seamless integration with existing urban transport systems.
Engineering solution over underground metro tunnel
In Ahmedabad district, the bullet train viaduct is generally being constructed using span-by-span (SBS) structures, with typical spans ranging from 30 to 50 metres. However, at this particular location, the alignment passes over an underground metro tunnel between Kalupur and Shahpur metro stations.
To ensure that no load from the high-speed rail structure is transferred to the metro tunnel, foundations were deliberately positioned away from the tunnel alignment. This constraint required the span length to be increased to approximately 100 metres.
Accordingly, the superstructure design was modified from an SBS viaduct to a steel truss bridge, ensuring complete structural safety for both the bullet train corridor and the metro system, while safeguarding public assets and uninterrupted passenger movement.
Precision assembly and placement
The steel bridge was assembled at a height of 16.5 metres above ground on temporary trestles at the project site. Once assembly was completed, the temporary supports were carefully dismantled, and the structure was lowered and accurately placed on permanent bearings, ensuring high levels of safety and structural precision.
Indigenous manufacturing under Make in India
-
Total weight: 1,098 metric tonnes
-
Dimensions: 14 metres in height and 15.5 metres in width
-
Location: Parallel to the Ahmedabad–Sabarmati main line of Western Railway
-
Fabrication: Wardha, Maharashtra
-
Transportation: Delivered to site using multi-axle trailers
The bridge was fabricated in a dedicated workshop in Wardha, demonstrating strong indigenous manufacturing capability under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
To support on-site assembly, a temporary platform measuring 11.5 m × 100 m was constructed. The structure uses approximately 45,186 Tor-Shear Type High Strength (TTHS) bolts and is protected with a C5-grade corrosion protection system, along with elastomeric bearings, ensuring durability, long service life, and passenger safety.
Advancing safe, future-ready rail infrastructure
The completion of this steel bridge highlights Indian Railways’ focus on delivering safe, reliable, and future-ready high-speed rail infrastructure, while carefully integrating new corridors with existing metro and railway networks.
As construction continues across Gujarat, such engineering milestones bring the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project closer to transforming long-distance travel with faster, safer, and more sustainable rail connectivity.
