Bharuch (Gujarat) [India], June 16 (ANI): In a significant step forward for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, a 100-metre-long steel bridge has been successfully launched over the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) tracks near Bharuch in Gujarat, according to a press release by National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) statement.

This is the eighth steel bridge completed for the project out of the planned 17 steel bridges in Gujarat and 28 for the entire corridor.

The bridge, weighing approximately 1,400 metric tonnes, stands 14.6 metres tall and spans 14.3 metres wide. It was fabricated in Trichy and transported to the launch site using specially designed trailers. The structure was launched with the help of an 84-metre-long launching nose, weighing around 600 metric tonnes.

The fabrication utilised approximately 55,300 Tor-Shear Type High Strength (TTHS) bolts with C5 system painting and elastomeric bearings designed for a 100-year lifespan. The bridge was assembled at the site at a height of 18 m from the ground on temporary trestles and pulled with the automatic mechanism of 2 semi-automatic jacks, each with a capacity of 250 tons, using mac-alloy bars.

The launch was meticulously executed with carefully planned traffic blocks on the DFC tracks. These blocks were implemented in phases to ensure safety while minimising disruption to freight movement.

India's first Bullet Train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has reached a significant construction milestone with the successful completion of 300 km of viaducts. This achievement was marked by the launching of a 40 m long full-span box girder near Surat, Gujarat, according to the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) statement.

NHSRCL said, 'Out of 300 km of superstructure, 257.4 km is constructed through Full Span Launching Method (FSLM) including 14 river bridges, 37.8 km through Span by Span (SBS), 0.9 km steel bridges (10 spans ranging from 60 to 130 m in 7 bridges), 1.2 km PSC bridges (20 spans ranging from 40 to 80 m in 5 bridges) and 2.7 km in station building.'

For constructing 257.4 km of viaduct through FSLM and 37.8 km of viaduct through SBS, 6455 & 925 spans of 40 m each, respectively, were used. (ANI)