Construction of the first reinforced concrete (RC) track bed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project started in Surat on August 31, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
The National High Speed Rail Corridor Limited (NHSRCL) track system is the same as that of the Japanese Shinkansen bullet train. The J-slab ballastless track system is being used for the first time in India, the Ministry of Railways stated.
Contracts for the track works in the entire Gujarat section of the project have been awarded, and material procurement for track works is currently at an advance stage. Over 14,000 metric tonnes of JIS rails and 50 moulds for casting track slabs have already been received from Japan, the spokesperson said.
The bullet train track rests on RC anchors suitable for running trains at a high speed of 320 km per hour.
“The RC anchors are provided to avoid any longitudinal and lateral restraint to the track slab. The size of the RC anchor is 520 mm diameter and the height is 260 mm. These are constructed at a distance of approximately five metres, centre to centre. In RC anchor, reference pin is installed for achieving desired alignment (both horizontal and vertical) suitable for train operation at 320 kmph,” a spokesperson of the NHSRCL said.
The track system comprises of a pre-cast track slab over which fastening devices and rails are fitted. This slab rests on the RC track bed, which has a thickness of approximately 300 mm and is constructed at site for individual ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ track lines on a viaduct top. The width of the RC track bed is 2,420 mm.
Track slabs are to be manufactured in dedicated factories and two such factories have already been set up. These factories are equipped with the most sophisticated and state-of-the-art technologies, and the infrastructure to produce precise slabs for High Speed Rail track construction, the spokesperson further said.
Special construction machineries, including the rail feeder car, the slab laying car, and the cement asphalt mortar (CAM) laying car will be deployed for the track works.
“To understand the methodology of execution of work related to track laying, extensive training and certification for Indian contractors’ personnel is being organised, with the Japan Railway Technical Services (JARTS) as the training and certification agency,” the spokesperson added.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is expected to be functional by August 2026, and at a peak speed of 320 kmph, it will cover the distance of 508 km in nearly three hours. The journey currently takes eight-nine hours to traverse.
