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Sabarmati River Bridge Completed for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train
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Milestone Structure Finished
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) announced the completion of a 480-metre-long, 36-metre-high bridge over the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad. Positioned between the Sabarmati and Ahmedabad bullet-train stations—about 1 km from the former and 4 km from the latter—the bridge is a key element of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.
Engineering Design and Construction Method
The bridge rests on eight circular piers, each 6 – 6.5 metres in diameter. Four piers are located within the riverbed, two on each riverbank, and the remaining two sit outside the banks to minimise obstruction of water flow. It comprises seven spans: five spans of 76 metres and two spans of 50 metres, each built from 23 in-situ cast segments. NHSRCL highlighted that the longer 76-metre spans reduce the number of river-bed piers compared with typical 40-metre spans elsewhere on the corridor. Construction employed the balanced cantilever method, allowing the superstructure to be erected from the piers without conventional scaffolding beneath the deck.
Progress Across the Corridor
According to NHSRCL, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad alignment traverses numerous existing structures, including flyovers, bridges, railway lines and metro corridors. The corridor contains 25 river bridges—21 in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra. Of the Gujarat bridges, 18 have been completed, indicating steady advancement of the overall project.
Strategic Importance
The Sabarmati bridge’s height—equivalent to a 12-storey building—provides the vertical clearance required to coexist with the adjacent Western Railway’s Ahmedabad-Delhi main line, which sits roughly 14.8 metres above ground. By reducing the number of piers within the riverbed, the design lessens environmental impact on the waterway while maintaining the structural integrity needed for high-speed operations. The bridge’s completion marks a significant step toward delivering India’s first bullet-train service, linking Mumbai and Ahmedabad with reduced travel times.