M G Contractors Pvt. Ltd. (MGCPL) has successfully launched the sixth open web girder (OWG) bridge for the 508.17 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project. 

The 100-meter-long steel bridge for GAD-12, part of MAHSR’s Package P1(B), was installed over the Western Railways’ Baroda-Surat line and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) in Gujarat. The launch site, located between Sayan and Kim near Surat, lies between MAHSR’s chainage KM 285+927m and KM 286+007m. 

Standing 12.5 meters tall and 14.3 meters wide, the 2,000 MT bridge was positioned using rollers and hydraulic jacks. A temporary launching nose was attached to assist in the process, which was completed in two days using traffic and power blocks to minimise disruptions to regular train services. 

The bridge and launching nose were pre-assembled at a height of 14.5 meters on temporary trestles and pulled into place using two semi-automatic jacks, each with a 250-ton capacity. 

MGCPL was awarded the Rs 5.49 billion contract for Package P1(B) by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) in September 2021. The package involves launching four PSC bridges and seven steel truss bridges within the 237.1 km civil Package C-4 (Vadodara-Zaroli), currently under construction by Larsen & Toubro. 

A total of 70,865 MT of steel will be used to fabricate 28 bridges for India’s first bullet train. So far, three OWG bridges have been launched under Package P1(B) and three under Package P1(C), marking significant progress in the project. 

(themetrorailguy)