Bullet train: 480 metre tall bridge completed over Sabarmati River

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Saturday said the 480-metre-long and 36-metre-tall bridge over the Sabarmati River has been completed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

The bridge, whose height is equivalent to a 12-storey building at around 118 feet, is one of the major structures of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor, the NHSRCL said in a release.

“It is located adjacent to the Western Railway’s Ahmedabad-Delhi main line, which is approximately 14.8 metres above ground level. The bridge is located between Sabarmati and Ahmedabad bullet train stations, approximately 1 km from Sabarmati station and 4 km from Ahmedabad station,” it added. Considering the required vertical clearances from existing infrastructure, the piers of the Sabarmati River bridge were designed with increased height, the release noted.

“The bridge is supported by eight circular piers, with diameters ranging from 6 to 6.5 metres. Of these, four piers are located within the riverbed, two are positioned on the riverbanks, one on each side, and two are located outside the riverbanks. The strategic placement of the piers has helped minimise obstruction to the river waterway,” the release informed.

While most river bridges on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor have shorter spans of around 40 metres, the Sabarmati River bridge incorporates longer spans ranging from 50 to 76 metres, thereby reducing the number of piers required within the riverbed, it pointed out.

“The bridge comprises five spans of 76 metres each and two spans of 50 metres each. Each of it consists of 23 segments, which were cast in-situ at the construction site. The construction of these segments required precision engineering, skilled manpower and quality checks at every stage,” NHSRCL said.

The bridge has been constructed using the ‘Balanced Cantilever Method’, a specialised technique suited for long-span bridges over rivers and deep waterways.