52% of excavation work completed for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train’s BKC station, a key milestone in the high-speed rail project | File Photo
Mumbai: The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) has completed 52% of the excavation work for the under-construction, proposed 32-meter-deep Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) bullet train station.
According to NHSRCL, the construction of this underground station in the heart of BKC requires excavating a massive 18.7 lakh cubic meters of earth. With over half of the excavation work already done, the project is progressing steadily.
“The Mumbai Bullet Train station is the only underground station in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor. Building this 32-meter-deep station in the heart of Bandra Kurla Complex involves excavating about 18.7 lakh cubic meters of earth, out of which 52% excavation is already completed. Sophisticated instrumentation is being used to ensure safety at the site. Completing the first base slab is a major milestone.” said Vivek Kumar Gupta, MD, NHSRCL.
Notably, the first concrete base slab of the Mumbai Bullet Train station has been cast on November 30, 2024, at a depth of about 32 meters from the ground level, equivalent to a 10-storey building.
According to NHSRCL, the station is being built using the bottom-up method, which means that excavation work has commenced from the ground level and the concrete work has started from the foundation. This slab is 3.5-meter-deep, measures about 30 meters in length and 20 meters in width.
Some interesting facts about the slab include the use of 681 MT of high-grade steel for reinforcement, 6200 rebar couplers, and 2254 cubic meters of M60 grade concrete.
“Concrete is being supplied through two in-situ batching plants of 120 m3 capacity each. Concrete pouring was temperature-controlled to keep pouring temperature below 25 Degree Celsius, through in-situ ice and chiller plants. Sufficient waterproofing measures have been ensured before casting the slab” said an official.
Mumbai Bullet Train Station located at Bandra Kurla Complex, Maharashtra, is the only underground station on Mumbai Ahmedabad HSR corridor.
The platform is planned at a depth of about 24 metres from the ground level. There will be three floors including platform, concourse and service floor. Excavation for the said work is being done till a depth of 32 meters from the ground level.
The station will have 6 platforms and length of each platform is approx. 415 m (sufficient to accommodate a 16 coach bullet train). The station will have connectivity with metro and road. Two entry/exit points are planned one to facilitate the access to nearby Metro station of metro line 2B and other towards the MTNL building.
The station has been planned in a way that ample space is available for passenger movement and amenities at the concourse and platform level. Apart from that a dedicated skylight provisions have been made for natural lighting.
