The National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) has invited bids for the design and construction of both Ahmedabad and Sabarmati high speed rail stations and 18 km of viaduct between Anand and Sabarmati for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor (MAHSR). The alignment also has 31 crossing bridges, including six steel truss bridges, a release said.
NHSRCL has already opened three technical bids covering 64% of the route, which makes 325 km out of the total 508 km of the MAHSR alignment, including bids for five HSR stations at Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch and Anand/Nadiad out of the 12 scheduled stations.
MAHSR will traverse through Western Railway’s Ahmedabad Junction Railway Station and be integrated with Saraspur side of the existing Ahmedabad station, a release said yesterday (Thursday, 9th October 2020).
Ahmedabad high speed rail station is to be built over the existing railway platform No. 11 and 12. “To ensure seamless integration of the high speed rail station with other modes of rail transport, NHSRCL has designed a user-friendly station layout. An integrated building for passenger transit is planned on east side of the existing railway station, where passengers will be able to swiftly switch from one mode to another. This building will be equipped with escalators and elevators and will house many passenger convenience facilities like booking office, passenger lobby, tea/coffee kiosks and other amenities,” said NHRSCL spokesperson Sushma Gaur.
The NHRSCL said that the construction of high speed rail station over existing railway lines is a challenge due to the presence of multiple utilities like platform sheds, offices, signalling and telecom cables, pipelines, electrical cables, tracks along the railway line.
“They are being shifted before the commencement of the construction activities. The functional offices of Ahmedabad railway station have already been relocated. Carrying out construction activities of high speed rail station alongside ongoing Ahmedabad metro construction, moving man and machinery over existing railway lines without disrupting passenger and cargo traffic at Ahmedabad Railway Station will also be challenging,” Gaur said.
Sabarmati being the terminal station of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor, NHSRCL has planned to develop it as a “vibrant Multimodal Transport Hub” on the east side of Sabarmati station.
“The available Right of Way along existing road network has been optimally utilised for planning the inflow/outflow of estimated traffic in horizon years. A new road under bridge has already been constructed to provide direct entry to proposed site of Sabarmati high speed rail station. This will facilitate station construction without interference with existing railway network on day to day basis,” Gaur said.