The High Speed or Bullet train is one project that will bring in a paradigm change in the way people will travel in the near future. And by June, work on India's first Bullet train on Mumbai-Ahmedabad will kick-off and people will actually be able to see it on ground. The High Speed Rail Corporation will begin the basic civil work at several locations across the 503-kms route.
Civil work chiefly means that the authorities will begin drilling deep into the earth for creating alignment for this high speed train. They will be using 3-4 TBMs — similar tunnel boring machines are being used for metro rail work in Mumbai — for civil work. They shall also check the strength of the rock below, conduct soil testing and follow other necessary methodology for this work.
Although 92 per cent of the corridor is elevated and barely 6 per cent is underground; majority of this underground portion is in Mumbai, which starts at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). "We will begin civil work for the alignment from June. This would include BKC as well where underground station is coming up," said an official from High Speed Rail Corporation.
For months, the Indian Railways and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had locked horns over the plot of land at BKC, where the latter had proposed an International Finance Centre (IFC).
Now, a station for Bullet train will come at least 40 meters below the surface. At BKC, the Bullet train will integrate with Colaba-Bandra-Seepz metro rail, which shall allow people to easily take either modes of transport.
The authorities will connect the two stations using travelator.
The tunnel will be 21-kms, and will start at BKC and end near Boisar. It will be deepest below the Thane creek at 70 meters and shall be 4-kms long. In fact, between December 11-25, a team of engineers from Japan and India tested the soil, using a process called 'Seismic Resistivity Test', 70-meters below the Thane creek and it is being studied in Japan. "We will have to ensure that the tunnel is earthquake proof as well," added the official from High Speed Rail Corporation.
As the entire route will be fenced, they will be constructing around 60 bridges on this route, of which 27 will be built in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts. A 4-meters wide service road will also be built along the alignment for emergency purposes. A casting yard for maintenance purpose shall be constructed near Diva and Sabarmati.
FINAL CONTOURS
- 92% of the corridor is elevated and barely 6% is underground; majority of this underground portion is in Mumbai, beginning at BKC.
- For months, Indian Railways and MMRDA had locked horns over a plot of land at BKC, where the latter had proposed an IFC.
- A station will come 40 meters below the surface
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