Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Steady Progress Amid Challenges

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, spanning Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, is making steady progress. With significant construction milestones achieved, the project remains on track despite initial land acquisition challenges. The project, launched in 2017, aims to introduce advanced rail technology to India.

The construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, covering Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, is progressing steadily. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, informed Lok Sabha that 1389.5 hectares of land have been acquired for the project.

So far, 350 km of Pier Foundation, 316 km of Pier Construction, 221 km of Girder Casting, and 190 km of Girder Launching have been completed. The undersea tunnel work, approximately 21 km, has also begun. Vaishnaw noted the project spans 508 km and includes 12 planned stations: Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.

The project's sanctioned cost is Rs 1,08,000 crore. Vaishnaw emphasized the project's complexity and technological intensity, noting it is designed in collaboration with Japanese Railways to meet India's safety and climate requirements. Completion timelines will be more accurate after finishing all civil structures, track, electrical, signaling, telecommunication work, and trainset supply.

The MAHSR Project, initiated in November 2021, faced initial delays due to land acquisition challenges but has been making consistent progress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan's then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched the initiative on September 14, 2017, in Ahmedabad. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), formed in 2016, oversees the project's financing, construction, maintenance, and management. The company operates as a special purpose vehicle with equity from the Central Government and the Governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

(With inputs from agencies.)