The Ministry of Railways reported on 4 May 2026 that all five precast-prestressed heavy portal beams for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project had been launched over the Amdavad-Vadodara railway line at Maninagar within 22 days. The work is significant because it was carried out above active Indian Railways tracks.
The launching sequence was completed on 8, 13, 19, 24 and 29 April 2026. The heaviest beam, weighing about 1360 tonnes, was launched on 8 April and was described as one of the heaviest lifts ever undertaken over operational railway lines. Each beam weighed between 1170 and 1360 tonnes, making the operation one of the most complex structural tasks executed on railway infrastructure.
At Maninagar, the bullet-train alignment crosses existing railway tracks at an elevated level with skewed and constrained geometry. The span between two piers is relatively large, around 30 to 34 metres, requiring a strong and rigid support system to transfer loads safely. The portal beams were designed to span multiple active tracks, including the Amdavad-Vadodara up, down and third lines. Their size and weight provide stability and minimal deflection, which are essential for precise high-speed rail alignment.
A 2200-tonne crawler crane was used as the primary equipment, reportedly for the first time in India over Indian railway tracks. Each beam was launched in about 3.5 hours, much faster than earlier 9-hour blocks, and the work was coordinated closely with Indian Railways. The operation dealt with limited space, overhead electrification and live tracks through high precision, safety checks and continuous monitoring. Each portal beam is a precast concrete structure 34 metres long, with a 5.5 metre by 4.5 metre cross-section.