Bids Invited for Mumbai – Ahmedabad HSR’s Track-Work

India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) on Friday night invited bids for the design, manufacturing and installation of tracks (Package T-2) for the 508.17 km Mumbai – Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR Bullet Train) project.

Package T-2 in Gujarat is the first and longest of three track related packages (T-1, T-2, T3) of this HSR line which will connect both cities through 12 stations at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.1 lakh crore (US $15 billion). It spans the entire length (237.1 km) of civil package C4 (MH/GJ border to Vadodara) which was awarded to Larsen & Toubro in November 2020.

IFB Number: Package No. MAHSR – T-2

Brief Scope: Design, Supply and Construction of Track and Track related Works including Testing and Commissioning on Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis for Double Line High Speed Railway between Zaroli Village at Maharashtra-Gujarat Border (MAHSR Km. 156.600) and Vadodara (MAHSR Km. 393.700) in the State of Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli for the Project for Construction of Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail

  • Completion Period: 2738 days (7.5 years)
  • Pre-bid Meeting: 15-Mar-2021 11:00 AM
  • Date & Time of Submission of Tender: 29-May-2021 03:00 PM
  • Date & Time of Opening of Tender: 31-May-2021 11:00 AM
Indicative alignment of Package C4 from the Gujarat-Maharashtra border to Vadodara where Package T2’s tracks will be laid – view Mumbai Ahmedabad HSR info & route map

A special slab track system will be utilized for the Bullet Train project instead of a conventional ballasted track system found in main-line railway lines. NHSRCL has a dedicated page for this with information on its economics and dynamics. Here’s an excerpt:

  1. Performance of Slab Track is better for High Speed Railway compared to ballasted track due to its higher flexural stiffness and it is because of this that the forces in Slab Track are distributed over a larger area and deflections are considerably less compared to ballasted track. This ultimately results in lesser maintenance requirement in Slab Track structure.
  2. Although initial construction cost of Slab Track is higher compared to ballasted track, the difference is compensated within few years of operation because of less maintenance and labour requirements in Slab Track. Slab Track structure is particularly advantageous in case of viaduct and tunnel due to its lighter and sleek structure.
50m training slab track at NHSRCL’s Vadodara Training Insitute – Photo Copyright: NHSRCL

Here’s the scope and status of the Mumbai – Ahmedabad Bullet Train’s 3 track-work packages:

PackageStatus
T-1 (Maharashtra): Design, Supply & Construction of Track & Track related works between HSR station at BKC/ Mumbai and Zaroli Village on MH/GJ border (156.855 km)Tender Notice Pending
T-2 (Gujarat): Design, Supply & Construction of Track and Track related works between Zaroli Village and Vadodara (237.10 km)Bids Invited (this post!)
T-3 (Gujarat): Design, Supply & Construction of Track and Track related works between Vadodara and Sabarmati Depot and workshops (114.60 km)Tender Notice Pending

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

– TMRG

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written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

10 Responses to "Bids Invited for Mumbai – Ahmedabad HSR’s Track-Work"

  1. Anonymous says:

    Hi,

    1) Now that L&T has started actual construction (at least basic piling works I suppose?), is it time to update the main info page for this project to “Under Construction (Zaroli-Sabarmati section)”?

    2) Given that NHSRCL is clearly going ahead with the tendering for the Gujarat sections for viaduct & stations, bridges, and now track work, how likely do you feel that a service better Sabarmati and Vapi can begin as an initial operational section? And by when do you think will that be possible? What are the current bottlenecks (if any) for the Gujarat section?

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Hi, haven’t seen any reports or images of piling work starting yet.

      Going by the tendering process, govt is definitely pushing for opening Sabarmati-Vapi without Maharashtra. That shouldn’t be too bad as there are multiple tier 2 pairings in the middle. I’m looking at a 2027 opening right now. Not aware of any major bottlenecks in Gujarat – let’s see what crops up as things progress. One of those is GJ heading to elections in 2022.

      Reply
  2. Deepak says:

    Isn’t the completion period of 7.5 years a bit too much?

    Reply
    • Abhishek says:

      Exactly my thought!!! My heart broke when I read 7.5 years for track laying, it almost means no bullet train will become operational in the country till 2028!!! That’s far too long, and it’s such shame, only 4 years for the entire t2 viaducts and bridges while 7.5 fir tracks!! What’s wrong with NHSRCL

      Reply
  3. Pradeep says:

    7.5years..why??😩😩😩

    Reply
  4. Hemendra says:

    It can not be 2738 Days. It has to be 738 Days.

    Reply
    • Himanshu Doria says:

      Relax

      It’s the period counted from the day of LoA awarding. The LoA would be awarded in this year while the civil construction progress required for the start of laying of tracks is still 4-5 years into future.

      Reply
      • TMRG says:

        This right here! Overly simplistic timeline:

        Year 1-2: Design
        Year 2-5: Manufacture
        Year 4-7: Install as access is handed over

        Reply
  5. saket says:

    The tenders for T1 and T2 have been opened with 4 bidders: Ircon International, Larsen & Toubro, NCC-Rahee, and Afcons-Texmaco
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/nhsrcl-fast-tracks-ahmedabad-vapi-section/articleshow/85606796.cms

    The tenders for T3 have been invited as well.. https://nhsrcl.in/en/tenders/active-tenders

    Reply

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