India may get another bullet train if the union government decides to move forward on a feasibility study submitted by Germany for a high speed rail project connecting Chennai, Bengaluru and Mysuru.
The feasibility study, submitted by a German delegation led by Germany's Ambassador to India to Indian Railways on Thursday, has pegged the infrastructure cost of the project at $16 billion (about Rs 1.1 lakh crore).
The study comes after the two governments agreed on closer cooperation in the railway sector, including rail safety, in October 2015.
Work on the country's first high speed train corridor project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is already in the second year of progress and is expected to be completed by end 2022.
While the Indian government has not indicated any forward movement on the project yet, Germany said that it has identified a consortium which is ready to provide financial assistance if India wants.
The 435-km-long project is expected to have six stations and can also be expanded to cities like Tirupati on enough demand, the German delegation said.
Calling the project a feasible one, the German delegation said that the project will greatly reduce traffic problems and will be convenient for passengers as its study shows that for a distance up to 700 kms, high-speed rail travel is faster as compared to air journeys.
Both sides agreed on land acquisition being a major challenge for the project, however, Germany said elevated tracks on some parts of the project will minimise the need of land.
The study also calls for an integration between the broad gauge network of Indian Railways and the high-speed rail network but Indian Railways said that such integration will not be possible here and that only a dedicated high-speed rail corridor will be welcome.
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