IRCON-Dineshchandra JV bags contract for construction of 18 km viaduct for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has issued a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) to M/s IRCON-Dineshchandra JV for Design and Construction of Civil and Building Works including Testing and Commissioning on Design Build Lump Sum Price Basis for Double Line High Speed Railway involving Ahmedabad Station, Sabarmati Station, Viaduct & Bridges, Crossing Bridges (excluding fabrication and transportation of steel truss girders) and Associated works between MAHSR Km. 489.467 and MAHSR Km. 507.599 in the State of Gujarat for the Project for Construction of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail.

The financial bids of 4 (Four) technically qualified bidders were opened and M/s  IRCON-Dineshchandra JV is the lowest bidder.

  • Package No.: MAHSR-C-7
  • Awarded Value: INR 3429.45 Crores
  • Period of Work (Days): 1643

In October 2020, the NHSRCL had invited bids for design and construction of about 18 km of viaduct between Anand and Sabarmati including HSR stations at Ahmedabad and Sabarmati for Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor.

Ahmedabad HSR Station:

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail will traverse through Western Railway’s Ahmedabad Junction Railway Station and shall be integrated with the Saraspur side of the existing Ahmedabad station. Ahmedabad HSR station will be built over the existing railway platform no. 11 & 12.

  • The construction of HSR station over existing railway lines will be quite challenging.
  • Along the railway tracks there are multiple utilities like platform sheds, offices, signalling and telecom cables, pipelines, electrical cables, tracks etc, which 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 HSR station alongside ongoing Ahmedabad Mega metro construction, moving man & machinery over existing railway lines without disrupting passenger & cargo traffic at Ahmedabad Railway Station will also be challenging.

Passenger Amenities:

  • To ensure seamless integration of the HSR station with other modes of rail transport, NHSRCL has designed a user-friendly station layout for Ahmedabad.
  • 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 etc.
  • The integrated building shall provide connections to Western Railway existing foot over Bridges to facilitate passenger movement to & fro IR Platforms and underground metro station on Saraspur side.

Sabarmati HSR Station:

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 in the region.

  • To achieve seamless integration of various transport modes around the HSR station, a multi-modal transit terminal has been planned on the East side of Sabarmati HSR station which shall ensure smooth traffic flow in the influence area of HSR station.
  • The Multi Modal Integration schemes focus on integration of existing and planned transit facilities in the station area.
  • The available Right of Way (RoW) along existing road network has been optimally utilized for planning the inflow/outflow of estimated traffic in horizon years.
  • A new Road Under Bridge (RUB) has already been constructed to provide direct entry to the proposed site of Sabarmati HSR station.
  • This will facilitate station construction without interference with existing railway networks on a day to day basis.

Source: NHSRCL-Tender Update | Image Credit (representational): NHSRCL