Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project update: All civil contracts awarded

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor has been making steady progress since work began in November 2021. The project initially faced delays due to challenges in land acquisition.

In its latest update, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited which is overseeing the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, said all civil contracts have been awarded in both Gujarat and Maharashtra. Contracts for all depot and electrical contracts have been awarded, the Corporation said on Wednesday.

A total of 190 km of viaduct and 321 km of pier work have been completed. The entire land acquisition in Gujarat, Dadra Nagar Haveli, and Maharashtra has been completed. The first mountain tunnel of 350 m in length near Zaroli Village in Valsad, Gujarat is completed.

Three steel bridges spanning 70 meters, 100 meters and 130 meters are completed in Surat, Anand and Vadodara, respectively. The bridge works on eight rivers out of the total 24 river bridges on the Bullet Train corridor -- Par (Valsad district), Purna (Navsari district), Mindhola (Navsari district), Ambika (Navsari district), Auranga (Valsad district), Venganiya (Navsari district), Mohar (Kheda district) and Dhadhar (Vadodara district) has been completed and the work on other important rivers -- Narmada, Tapti, Mahi and Sabarmati is in progress.

Work for India's first seven km undersea rail tunnel, which is part of a 21 km long tunnel between BKC and Shilphata in Maharashtra, has commenced. Excavation works for the construction of the Mumbai Bullet Train station and the shaft for the underground/undersea tunnel are in progress. On the Gujarat side, the foundation work on all eight bullet train stations -- Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati -- is completed.

On the Maharashtra side, works for Mumbai Bullet Train station in Maharashtra have started. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in March this year said that the much-awaited bullet train project will be ready by 2026, with services between Surat and Bilimora commencing initially.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor has been making steady progress since work began in November 2021. The project initially faced delays due to challenges in land acquisition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then-Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe launched the project in Ahmedabad on September 14, 2017.

National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) was incorporated on 12th February 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013 with the object of financing, constructing, maintaining and managing the High-Speed Rail Corridor in India. The Company has been modelled as a 'Special Purpose Vehicle' in the joint sector with equity participation by the Central Government through the Ministry of Railways and two State Governments viz. Government of Gujarat and Government of Maharashtra.

As per the Joint Feasibility Study report of 2015, the project was estimated to cost Rs 108,000 crore, with an expected completion period of 8 years. (ANI)

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