Piling Work Begins for Ahmedabad Metro’s Thaltej – West Ramp Stretch

Construction work for the 8.21 km western leg of Ahmedabad Metro’s 20.737 km east-west line connecting Thaltej Gam with the West Ramp has started with the contractor, Tata Projects Ltd.-China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (TPL-CCECC) JV, starting piling work at multiple places along the city’s Drive-In Road. Piling rigs were seen deployed earlier this month at places such as Doordarshan Kendra, Gurukul, and have now started to build the foundation for the line’s elevated structure.

The contract for this section to TPL-CCECC JV was awarded by the Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) after they emerged as the lowest bidder for this package in January 2017. Besides the elevated viaduct & crucial bridge over the Sabarmati River, the TPL-CCECC JV will be responsible for constructing 7 stations at Thaltej Gam, Thaltej, Doordarshan Kendra, Gurukul, Gujarat University, Commerce Six Road and Stadium Circle. The Old High Court Station (interchange with the 18.522 km north-south line) is a part of this line, but its construction will be carried out by Simplex Infrastructures as part of the north-south line’s 8.94 km Shreyas – Ranip package.

Alignment of Thaltej Gam – West Ramp section – view Ahmedabad Metro map & information

Photo Copyright: Arpit Shah

Photo Copyright: Arpit Shah

With the Doordarshan Tower in the background – Photo Copyright: Arpit Shah

Photo Copyright: Arpit Shah

To rehash from another post, piling work is the first step in the construction process and is used to build the elevated viaduct’s foundation. Typically 4-6 piles are built per pier as shown below:

Diagramatic representation of what goes into building a pillar for the metro – Courtesy: Civil Engineering Discoveries

Within the next 3 months, the contractor will begin casting piers on-site and locals will start seeing more visible progress.

Phase 1’s Status

Green: Under Construction | Orange: Under Construction (Viaduct) & Test Piling Started (Stations) | Red: Contracts Awarded in January; Site Prep Work Underway for TBM Launch Shafts

May Status of Ahmedabad Metro’s Phase 1 Project

For more updates, check out the Ahmedabad section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG