First Full-Span Girder Launched for Maharashtra Bullet Train
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) launched its first full-span Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) Box Girder in Maharashtra for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train project on Friday. The launch at Sakhare Village in Dahanu marks a significant engineering milestone in the state’s high-speed rail infrastructure.
The Maharashtra section of the 508-kilometre corridor spans 156 kilometres and includes underground, elevated, and tunnel alignments. Notable elements comprise an underground station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, a 21-kilometre tunnel between BKC and Shilphata in Thane, and a 135-kilometre elevated track extending to Zaroli village on the Maharashtra–Gujarat border.
The elevated section features 124 kilometres of viaduct, including 103 kilometres constructed using 2,575 Full Span Launching Method (FSLM) girders, and another 17 kilometres built with segmental girders. It also includes 2.3 kilometres of steel bridges spanning highways, Indian Railways, the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFCC), and the Ulhas River. Additionally, 1.3 kilometres of elevated track will traverse through the upcoming bullet train stations at Thane, Virar, and Boisar. Seven mountain tunnels and five kilometres of special earthworks contribute to 11 kilometres of additional structures.
The PSC Box Girder launched is 40 metres long and weighs approximately 970 metric tonnes, making it one of the heaviest components ever used in Indian infrastructure. Each girder is cast as a monolithic unit using 390 cubic metres of concrete and 42 metric tonnes of steel. According to NHSRCL, full-span girders allow construction to advance nearly 10 times faster than conventional segmental girders.
To support this pace, NHSRCL is deploying indigenous heavy machinery such as Straddle Carriers, Bridge Launching Gantries, and Girder Transporters. A robust supply chain has been established with 13 casting yards planned between Shilphata and the Gujarat–Maharashtra border, of which five are already operational.
The full-span girder technology has been in use in Gujarat since April 2021, where 307 kilometres of viaduct have already been completed. In Maharashtra, recent achievements include the initial slab castings at Virar and Boisar stations.
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, backed by Japanese technical and financial assistance, aims to transform railway travel in India by reducing journey time and delivering world-class rail infrastructure.