Ahmedabad : The Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor will have J- Slab ballastless track system based on Japanese Shinkansen track system. This track system consists of four main components viz. RC Track Bed, Cement Asphalt Mortar, Pre-cast Track Slab and Rails with Fasteners. The process of track installation is fully mechanized with cutting edge machinery especially designed and manufactured, as per Japanese construction practices (most of them manufactured in India including ToT from Japan for one type of machine).

Four sets (04) of track construction machinery have been received at site. The fleet of machines include rail feeder car, track slab laying car, related wagons and motor cars, CAM laying car and flash butt welding machines.

Details of track construction machinery:

Flash Butt Welding Machine (FBWM)

The 25 m long 60 kg rails are welded using Flash butt welding machine (FBWM) to form 200 m long panels at the TCB (track construction base) over the viaduct. Total 4 FBWM have been procured till now. The same have to pass through stringent approval methodology, prior to commencement of rail welding, fit for high speed train operation at 320 kmph. The training & certification for rail weld finishing and rail weld inspection & testing have been done by the JARTS (Japanese company), which is pre-requisite to start the welding works.

Till date, more than 850 rail panels  (200m long) have been welded i.e. more than  86 Track km of rails. 

Dedicated Track Construction Bases (TCBs) are being planned and constructed to facilitate track construction including handling of rails, track slabs, machineries and equipment on ground and at the viaduct. They also serve as a base for engineers & other man-power working for track construction.
Six track construction bases, three in between Surat, Billimora,  Vapi and three in between Vadodara,  Anand, Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat have been made operational, at present.

Track Slab Laying Car (SLC)
Precast track slabs are lifted on to the viaduct, loaded on specially designed SLC and moved to the track laying location. By using SLC, which can pick 5 slabs at a time, track slabs are laid in position on the RC track bed. 4 SLC have been arranged for slab laying work.

Rail Feeder Car (RFC)
200 m long panels are loaded in RFC and laid over RC track bed using Rail Feeder Car. RFC will push the rail pair over the RC bed and temporary track will be laid initially on RC, bed. Total 6 RFC have been arranged till now.

Cement Asphalt Mortar Injection Car (CAM Car)
After placement of track slabs (with the use of TSLC, which operates on auxiliary track of 3m gauge) at proper place on the RC Bed, CAM car runs on the other side track (i.e. on both UP and DN line temporary track at standard gauge is to be laid). This CAM car mixes the CAM ingredients in designed proportion and thereafter, CAM mix is injected under the slab (in special bags) to maintain the required line and level of the final track. 4 CAM cars have been arranged till now.

🗃️ This story is from our archives and may contain outdated information.