L&T lowest bidder for 28 steel bridges in Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project

<p id="content">Larsen and Toubro (L&T)-IHI Infrastructure Systems Consortium has emerged as the lowest bidder for the procurement and fabrication of 28 steel bridges for crossing over lines, rivers, highways and other structures for the 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, officials said on Friday.</p>
Larsen and Toubro (L&T)-IHI Infrastructure Systems Consortium has emerged as the lowest bidder for the procurement and fabrication of 28 steel bridges for crossing over lines, rivers, highways and other structures for the 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, officials said on Friday.

"L&T-IHI Infrastructure Systems (Consortium) is the lowest bidder. This is a consortium of Indian and Japanese companies," she said.

She informed that a total of eight bidders had participated in the bid and only four qualified after technical evaluation.

Among the four bidders were Tata Projects Ltd, Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, NCC Ltd and L&T- IHI Infrastructure Systems Consortium.

She said that it is estimated that about 70,000 MT of steel will be used for the fabrication of these steel bridges and the Indian steel industry and allied supply chains will get a big boost.

"NHSRCL has already sensitised the steel industries to cater to such a huge demand for India's first High Speed Rail corridor," she said.

The NHSRCL has already awarded civil contracts for the construction of 64 per cent of MAHSR alignment which includes five HSR stations at Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand/Nadiad, train depot at Surat and one mountain tunnel of 350 metres.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe had on September 14, 2017 laid the foundation stone for the ambitious Rs 1.08 lakh crore ($17 billion) project.

The initial deadline to complete the project is December 2023. The bullet trains are expected to run at 350 km per hour covering the 508 km stretch in about two hours. In comparison, trains currently plying on the route take over seven hours to travel the distance, whereas flights take about an hour..