India's GPT Wins INR 4.837 Billion Contract for Mahanadi River Railway Steel Truss Bridge

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 21, India's GPT Infraprojects secured a contract from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) for the construction of a major railway bridge over the Mahanadi River, with a contract value of INR 4.8372 billion and a construction period of 1,095 days. The project is located in Odisha and forms part of the third and fourth line works between Nergundi and Barang under the Khurda Road Division of East Coast Railway. The contract was awarded by the Chief Project Manager of RVNL in Bhubaneswar. GPT Infraprojects had previously disclosed on September 2 that it had emerged as the lowest bidder for the project, and has now entered the formal contract execution stage.

The core scope of the contract is Important Bridge No. 544, located at chainage K406+305, spanning the Mahanadi River. The bridge superstructure adopts 32 spans of 65.84 m open web steel truss girders, with a total bridge span structure length exceeding 2.1 km. GPT Infraprojects will undertake the construction of the steel truss bridge, with the construction period calculated from the designated commencement date. The company has long been engaged in the construction of large railway steel structure bridges and is capable of executing deep-water foundations, steel structure fabrication, long-span steel girder erection, and main bridge works.

Bridge No. 544 is one of four important river-crossing railway bridges in the Nergundi–Barang section. This batch of bridges also includes Bridge No. 539 over the Birupa River, adopting 16 spans of 30.5 m steel girders; Bridge No. 553 over the Kathjori River, adopting 18 spans of 45.70 m steel girders; and Bridge No. 557 over the Kuakhai River, adopting 20 spans of 45.70 m steel girders. All four major bridges serve the construction of the third and fourth lines between Nergundi and Barang, among which the Mahanadi River bridge has the largest number of spans and the longest single span in this batch of works.

The third and fourth lines between Nergundi and Barang have a total length of 22 km and form part of the capacity augmentation project for the Bhadrak–Vizianagaram corridor of East Coast Railway. The railway construction plan also includes approximately 363 km of third line between Khurda Road and Vizianagaram, with an overall construction scope of approximately 385 km. Public engineering data from East Coast Railway shows that the approved investment for the project is approximately INR 49.6287 billion, approved in the 2023–2024 fiscal year, with preliminary priorities including tendering for four important bridges in the Nergundi–Barang section and adjustments to engineering quantities and investment estimates.

GPT Infraprojects' existing railway infrastructure business covers steel truss bridges, railway lines, and large river bridge construction. The company's ongoing projects also include the Mathura–Jhansi third line railway bridge project with a contract value of approximately INR 7.97 billion; the new railway bridge over the Rupnarayan River on the Howrah–Kharagpur line with a contract value of approximately INR 4.81 billion; and the Kona Expressway elevated project, among others. The company currently discloses an overall order book of approximately INR 44.15 billion.

The company's steel bridge business possesses complete implementation capabilities from foundation construction to steel structure superstructure works, with construction scope including steel truss girder fabrication and erection, deep pile foundations, caisson foundations, and large river-crossing structures. GPT also operates a railway concrete sleeper business and has manufacturing facilities in India, South Africa, Namibia, and Ghana. This Mahanadi River bridge contract will directly enter its system of ongoing large steel bridge projects for Indian Railways.