Navsari: Larsen & Toubro’s construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project is going ahead full steam and the company has achieved another milestone by erecting a 40 m long box girder weighing 970 MT.
The first full span box girder was moved from the casting yard at Navsari, Gujarat and erected in the virtual presence of Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India. Shri Satish Agnihotri, Managing Director - National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited, Miyamoto Shingo San Hon’ble Minister (Economic & Development), Embassy of Japan in India, Saito Mitsunori San, Chief Representative, JICA India office and senior leadership of L&T were also present at the event.
The prestressed box girder was erected using the full span launching methodology with a Straddle Carrier moving the girder to the erection spot and a Bridge Gantry lifting and placing the girder on the piers. The erection marks an important milestone towards completing the Surat-Billimora stretch of the project.
Commenting on the milestone, Whole Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Civil Infrastructure), L&T, Mr. S V Desai said, “For a mega project like the High-Speed Rail, we need to adopt innovative construction methodologies like Full Span Launching to meet the Speed and Scale of the project. We are proud to be part of this historical moment.”
The L&T-built equipment to launch the girder has been designed using state-of-the-art finite element analysis software by developing full-scale models in-house following stringent international codes maintaining world class design standards. The machines are checked for various critical loading cases and optimized using combinations of different material grades to ensure long and efficient operation, at a minimum operating cost. The launching girder machines are most suitable for curve tracks and different gradients.
The machines are equipped with highly mechanized and proven world class and most reliable components and can operate in automatic mode using in-built program logic. There is a provision for remote monitoring through IoT.
Larsen & Toubro is an Indian multinational engaged in EPC Projects, Hi-Tech Manufacturing and Services. It operates in over 50 countries worldwide. A strong, customer–focused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business for eight decades.
