The Mumbai Bullet Train project, spearheaded by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), is making significant strides as construction of the Mumbai Bullet Train Station advances seamlessly.
More Details:
Recently the land required for construction of the BKC station, which is about 4.8 hectares, has been handed over to the contractor by NHSRCL (National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited). The station will be built using the bottom-up method, which means that excavation work will commence from the ground level and concrete work will start from the foundation.
The excavation required for the station is quite extensive, reaching a depth of 32 metres (almost 10 floors of normal residential building), with an approximate volume of around 18 lakh cubic metres. To safely carry out such deep excavation, a ground support system must be constructed to prevent the soil from collapsing. This support system will involve the construction of 3382 secant piles, each ranging from 17 to 21 metres in depth. All the secant piles have been constructed.
Ongoing Works:
The excavation in the station area has begun, and about 2.0 lac cum earth is already excavated and disposed of. The secant piles are concurrently being supported with soil anchors and walkers at specific intervals (ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 metres) as the excavation progresses. The required rate of excavation is about 6000 cum per day, in terms of number of trips 400-450 trips of dumpers. It’s a big challenge to achieve this volume in the heart of Mumbai.
Key Challenges:
- As this construction site is centrally located in business district of Bandra Kurla Complex and surrounded by high end residential complexes and office buildings, it becomes even more important for NHSRCL to make sure that construction work progresses without causing much inconvenience to the residents, office goers in the business district and traffic movement. All this is ensured keeping Mumbai vehicle entry restrictions, blasting restrictions, dust control & prevention measures in mind.
- Extensive use of high-end instrumentation is ensured for the effectiveness of the support system (soil anchors and walers) all along the excavated area. Instruments such as inclinometer, Piezometer, 3D target, Load cells etc. are being extensively used.
- This construction site is surrounded by other infrastructure work in the vicinity like Mumbai Metro line 2B, SCLR flyover etc. The monitoring of critical parameters for piers of metro2B, SCLR flyover considering its proximity with the alignment is also being carried out regularly.
- Currently, there are 774 labourers and supervisors on-site working day and night. The future deployment of the workforce will be planned as per site requirement. The primary ongoing activity at the site is the excavation and fixing of soil anchors and walers.
Important Dates and Numbers:
- Date of Contract signing: 20 March 2023
- Total land: 4.8 Ha
- Depth of the station: 32 metres (equivalent to a 10-storey building)
- 100% secant piling completed i.e. 3382 secant piles, each ranging from 17 to 21 metres
- Length of the construction site: 1 km (approx.) including shaft area for tunnel
- Excavation done so far: 2 Lac Cubic metre out of 18 Lac cubic metre
- 400-500 truck trips happen every day from site to the material dumping area
- 774 Workers currently working at site
Conclusion:
As the Mumbai Bullet Train project continues to make steady progress, NHSRCL remains committed to delivering India’s first Bullet Train with utmost safety, efficiency, and respect for the surrounding community and environment.
Source: NHSRCL- Press Release | Images Credit: NHSRCL
