Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: L-T designed the equipment for the viaductA full span of state-of-the-art launching equipment was flagged off today to expedite the construction of a 325 km long viaduct on the upcoming high-speed bullet train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the equipment - which includes a straddle carrier and girder transporter, for the country's first bullet train corridor through video conferencing on Thursday, September 9.The launching equipment of 1,100 MT capacity is indigenously designed and manufactured by infrastructure conglomerate M/s Larsen - Toubro (L-T) at Kanchipuram, Chennai, according to a statement released by the Railway Ministry today.

A total of 20 such launching equipment will be required for the construction of viaduct superstructures between Vapi and Ahmedabad in Gujarat along the high-speed railway line. More than 97 per cent of land has been acquired for the bullet train project in Gujarat and Dadra - Nagar Haveli and 30 per cent in Maharashtra, according to the government.

The work has already begun on the 325 km route (in Gujarat) out of the total 508 km corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.For the construction of viaduct superstructures for the high-speed bullet train corridor, state-of-the-art construction methods such as full span launching methodology will be adopted.

This will expedite the process of launching girders as the precast girders of full span length will be erected as a single piece for double-track viaduct.The full span launching methodology is used across the world as it is faster than the segment by segment launching method, usually adopted for the construction of viaducts for the metro systems. India is now among the select group of countries such as Korea, Italy, Norway, and China which have been designing and manufacturing such equipment for infrastructure projects. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor will reduce the travel time between the two major cities to almost two-three hours, with stoppages at all 12 stations along its route, according to National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) - responsible for the development, execution, and maintenance of the bullet train project.