The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has achieved a significant engineering milestone with the successful launch of an 80-metre Make in India steel bridge at Anupam Flyover on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai main line of Western Railway.
The 1,004 metric tonne steel bridge, measuring 14 metres in height and 14.4 metres in width, was fabricated at a manufacturing facility in Wardha, Maharashtra, and transported to the site. The 80-metre span was necessitated by the placement of piers on either side of the existing flyover, exceeding the typical 30–50 metre spans used in the Span-by-Span construction method employed elsewhere along the Ahmedabad viaduct.
A specially designed temporary launching system measuring 10.8 metres x 140 metres and weighing approximately 1,110 metric tonnes was erected to assemble and launch the bridge. Assembly was carried out using 18 skid arrangements and 35,602 torque-shear type high strength bolts on temporary trestles approximately 18 metres above ground. The bridge features a C5 protective painting system and elastomeric bearings for long-term durability and vibration control.
Once assembled, the bridge was launched longitudinally using hydraulic jacks during a planned traffic block, then side-slewed to achieve precise final alignment with the bullet train viaduct.
With this achievement, 15 of the 17 steel bridges planned in Gujarat have been completed. A total of 28 steel bridges are planned across the entire Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Corridor.
