Ahmedabad: A key engineering milestone has been achieved under the Ahmedabad–Mumbai High-Speed Rail Project with the installation of a massive precast RCC portal beam over an active railway mainline at Sabarmati.

The 34.5-metre-long portal beam, weighing approximately 1,600 metric tonnes, was launched during a scheduled traffic and power block. The complex operation was completed in just three hours.

As per the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), with the launch of this final and heaviest portal beam at Sabarmati, the launching of all 13 heavy portal beams in Ahmedabad has been completed.

The 18-km-long Bullet Train viaduct in Ahmedabad crosses the following busy existing railway lines at an elevated level. To facilitate these crossings, 13 portal beams were strategically designed and erected as part of the Bullet Train viaduct:

• 5 portal beams over the Mumbai–Ahmedabad main railway line at Maninagar
• 7 portal beams over the Mumbai–Ahmedabad main railway line at Vatva
• 1 portal beam over the Ahmedabad–Delhi main railway line at Sabarmati

The final precast, prestressed portal beam, weighing approximately 1,640 metric tonnes, is the heaviest precast concrete portal beam among the 13 launched in Ahmedabad. It measures 34.5 metres in length and has a cross-section of 5.5 metres × 4.5 metres, making it one of the largest precast portal beams used in the project. The entire launching operation was completed in approximately three hours.

The launching operation was carried out using a 2,200 MT crawler crane. Despite the restricted working space, the operation was meticulously planned and executed under stringent safety protocols, in close coordination with Indian Railways, ensuring safe and uninterrupted train operations throughout the lifting process, the NHSRCL said.

The successful completion of all 13 heavy portal beam launches showcases the advanced engineering capabilities being employed in the construction of India’s first high-speed rail corridor.

Dimensions of Portal Beams