Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project: The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has completed the 480-metre-long bridge over the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

The bridge stands around 36 metres high, which is equal to the height of a 12-storey building. It is one of the major structures of the bullet train corridor in Ahmedabad.

The bridge is located between the Sabarmati and Ahmedabad bullet train stations, around 1 km from Sabarmati station and 4 km from Ahmedabad station.

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The newly completed Sabarmati River bridge stands around 36 metres above the ground.

Sabarmati bullet train bridge stands 36 metres high

The Sabarmati bullet train bridge has been designed to cross the Sabarmati River while also maintaining the required clearance from existing infrastructure in the area.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train alignment passes through several existing structures, including railway lines, flyovers, bridges and metro corridors.

The nearby Ahmedabad–Delhi railway line is around 14.8 metres above ground level. According to NHSRCL, because of the existing infrastructure and the required clearance, the piers of the Sabarmati River bridge were designed with greater height.

Sabarmati River Bridge has 8 large piers

The Sabarmati River bridge is supported by eight circular piers, with diameters ranging from 6 to 6.5 metres.

Of the eight piers:

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• Four are located inside the riverbed
• Two are on the riverbanks, one on each side
• Two are outside the riverbanks

The placement of the piers has been planned to reduce obstruction to the river’s waterway.

The Sabarmati River bridge connects a key section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor.

Longer spans reduce piers in the river: NHSRCL

Unlike many other river bridges on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor, which generally have spans of around 40 metres, the Sabarmati bridge uses longer spans of 50 to 76 metres.

The bridge has:

• Five spans of 76 metres each
• Two spans of 50 metres each

Using longer spans helped reduce the number of piers required inside the riverbed.

Construction of Sabarmati River bridge

The Sabarmati River bridge on bullet train corridor was constructed using the Balanced Cantilever Method, which is used for long-span bridges over rivers and deep waterways.

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Under this method, the bridge deck is built outward from the piers in balanced sections. This allows construction without installing conventional support structures underneath the entire bridge deck.

The segments were cast at the construction site and then joined using post-tensioning. Each span consists of 23 segments, with construction requiring precision engineering and quality checks at different stages.

The 12-storey-tall Sabarmati River bridge is among the major structures of the bullet train project.

18 of 21 Gujarat river bridges completed

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor will have 25 river bridges in total. Of these: 21 are in Gujarat and 4 are in Maharashtra. With the completion of the Sabarmati River bridge, 18 of the 21 planned river bridges in Gujarat have now been completed.