Bullet train project: Tender for bridge between Surat, Billimora opened

VADODARA: As the initial hiccups related to the land acquisition process for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project are easing out, the first set of tenders for the prestigious project have been floated in Gujarat.
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) which is implementing the high speed rail project has floated the tender for construction of a bridge at Sisodra village in Navsari district that will come up between Surat and Billimora.

The government wants to run the first bullet train by August 15, 2022 to coincide with 75 years of Independence before the complete targeted commissioning of the 508-km corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai in 2023.

Sources in NHSRCL said that the 50-km Surat-Billimora stretch has been selected for the first bullet train to run because of the straight alignment and because from a construction point of view it is possible to start it before the other stretches.

The train will complete the 50-km stretch in about 15 minutes.

“The bids for construction of bridge at Sisodra at Navsari are under finalisation. The bridge will be constructed over the National Highway 48,” said a NHSRCL official, adding that joint measurement survey for land acquisition on this stretch is currently under progress. This will be the first of the 60-odd bridges on the 508-km high-speed corridor.

The officials simultaneously are finalising the tender for a major work – construction of viaduct of the 230 km section starting from Vapi in South Gujarat to Vadodara.

It is worth mentioning here that the high speed rail will be 10 to 15 metre elevated above the ground on a viaduct.

“The tender document is almost finalised and bids will be invited soon,” said the official.