After much delay, the stuck high-speed bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad got a fresh lease of life today as the project implementing agency National High Speed Railway Corporation (NHSRCL) today invited bids for the construction of an underground station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor.
“Bids invited for design and construction of Mumbai underground station and tunnels for #BulletTrain,” railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav said in a tweet.
The bullet train project will be run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai on a high speed rail corridor at a speed of 320 kmph, covering a distance of 508 km and 12 stations in just 3 hours. The travel time between the two cities is currently nearly six hours.
The high-speed rail project was stuck due to non-clearances by the previous MVA government led-by Uddhav Tahckeray.
“Bids have been invited for the construction of an underground station along with one cut and cover tunnel at the BKC,” PTI quoted a NHSCRL official.
The total cost of the project is Rs 1.08 lakh crore and as per the shareholding pattern, the central government is to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved – Gujarat and Maharashtra – are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each. The rest is to be paid by Japan through a loan at 0.1 per cent interest.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Wednesday assured Consul General of Japan in Mumbai Fukahori Yasukata of fast-tracking infrastructure projects like bullet train, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
