Contracts Worth Over Rs 1,300 Crore, For 28 Steel Bridges In Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project, Awarded

Expediting execution, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has awarded a major contract worth over Rs 1,300 crore to Larsen & Toubro and IHI Infrastructure Systems, a consortium
of Indian and Japanese companies, for construction of 28 steel bridges for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

These steel bridges will be built over railway lines, rivers, highways, roads and other structures for running bullet trains at a maximum speed of 350 km per hour on the 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed corridor.

The construction of these Make-in-India steel bridges is being considered as a big boost for the steel industry and allied units in the country.

The Rs 1,390 crore contract envisages use of 70,000 MT of steel for the fabrication of these bridges.

According to NHSRCL, Indian steel manufacturers will be providing quality steel for the fabrication of super structures for these steel bridges. The NHSRCL has already sensitised the Indian steel industries to cater to such a huge demand for India's first high speed rail corridor.

NHSRCL has already awarded civil contracts for the construction of 64 percent of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor alignment which includes a train depot at Surat, a mountain tunnel of 350 metre and five HSR stations — Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch and Anand/Nadiad.

Contracts have also been awarded for a train depot at Surat and one tunnel of 350 metres.

"Opening of steel fabrication to Indian companies will not only reduce costs but will also give a boost to the Make-in-India aspect of the business, and as a result upgrade the standards of fabrication in the country, NHSRCL said in a statement.

Enhanced skills of Indian technicians will further pave the way for 'Make for World' and put Indian companies for fabrication of reliable, cost-effective and high-quality products on the global map," the statement added.

Earlier, the steel superstructure work was assigned to Japan Lead (JV) companies, as the job required construction of steel superstructure bridges of high-quality Japanese standards for the high speed railway.

But as the 'Make in India' prospect took flight and fabrication of steel structures are being executed by Indian companies for all other railway projects, the NHSRCL looked into the possibility of opening a steel structure fabrication bid to Indian companies as well.

In discussion with the Japanese side for opening steel superstructure works to Indian companies also, a high-power committee comprising experts from both the Indian and Japanese sides was formed in March 2019.

The committee's main task was to assess the capability of various Indian fabricators and ensure whether they can be entrusted with the work, the statement said.

It was also tasked with the responsibility of recommending improvements to Indian fabricators so that their fabrication quality meets Japanese and global high speed railway standards.

The committee mentioned that manufacturing of steel bridges can be achieved by Indian fabrication companies as they have the infrastructure.

With the support of highly-skilled human resources and a systematic human-training system, the required quality level can be achieved.

In total, 28 steel bridges with individual spans varying from 60 metres to 130 metres will be constructed for the project. The length of all the steel bridges put together will be around 4.5 km and their construction will involve more than 70,000 tonnes of steel fabrication, according to NHSRCL.