The Impressive TimesVadodara, October 12, 2026: The Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has achieved a significant construction milestone with the completion of all 14 portal beams over the Delhi–Mumbai Rajdhani main line in Vadodara, Gujarat.
The achievement marks an important step towards integrating the high-speed rail corridor with the existing railway network and meeting the complex engineering requirements of one of India’s busiest railway routes.
The portal beams have been constructed along the challenging Vadodara stretch, where the Bullet Train alignment crosses multiple operational railway lines. Their completion clears a major structural requirement for launching 40-metre composite girders over the Rajdhani main line and progressing work on the elevated corridor.
The approximately 8.3-km Vadodara section passes through a densely developed urban and railway environment, crossing five Indian Railways lines, including two main lines.
The Bullet Train alignment also crosses the Delhi–Mumbai Rajdhani main line diagonally, requiring specially engineered structures to maintain necessary clearances and ensure safe, uninterrupted railway operations.
To address these challenges, 14 portal beams have been constructed at strategic locations along the crossing.
Of these, 10 are located between Vadodara Bullet Train station and Vishwamitri Railway station towards the Surat end, while the remaining four are positioned between Vadodara Railway station and Chhayapuri Railway station towards the Ahmedabad end.
The portal beams will provide the structural framework for constructing the Bullet Train viaduct superstructure.
Composite girders spanning approximately 40 metres will subsequently be launched over the portal beams at the Rajdhani main line crossing. At the remaining portal beam locations, construction will proceed using the Span-by-Span (SBS) launching method.
These activities will help advance the elevated high-speed rail corridor through one of the project’s most technically demanding sections.
The portal beams were constructed using the cast-in-situ method because of the restricted working space and the need to maintain operations around existing railway infrastructure.
Each completed portal beam weighs approximately 1,500 tonnes and measures around 37 metres in length, four metres in width and four metres in height.
Every structure requires approximately 590 cubic metres of concrete, while the reinforcement cage alone weighs around 55 tonnes. Given their massive dimensions and constrained construction locations, conventional precast launching was considered impractical.
The construction process involves specialised high-capacity cranes, hydraulic jacks, long-boom concrete pumps and precision surveying equipment.
Building these structures above operational railway infrastructure requires detailed construction sequencing, continuous monitoring and close coordination with Indian Railways. Controlled railway blocks are arranged wherever necessary to facilitate work safely.
The completion of all 14 portal beams represents a crucial structural achievement for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. It prepares the way for the next phase of viaduct construction through Vadodara, where complex railway crossings and urban constraints demand specialised engineering solutions.
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