India’s ambitious bullet train project from Ahmedabad to Mumbai has run into snags. Sources told CNBC-TV18 that several key tenders for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor are yet to take off.
"Disagreements between the railways — which is the implementing agency — and the Maharashtra government continue over the cost of land acquisition at BKC (Bandra-Kurla Complex) etc.," the sources said.
Sources said 67 percent of the land required in
Maharashtra for the bullet train project has been acquired. However, "the crucial land parcel needed for BKC-
Thane stretch could be the deciding factor for the fate of bullet train project in Maharashtra," they said.
Completion of bullet train project likely to be extended
The
bullet train in India or the National High-Speed corridor will run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The train is expected to have 12 stops including Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati. Nearly 91 percent of the stretch of the entire route is likely to be elevated.
The work on the bullet train project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai was initiated in September 2017. The project was initially planned for completion by December 2023. The government had announced that efforts would be made to complete the project by August 2022, however, the timeline has seen multiple extensions over the past five years.
"In Gujarat, the civil work and awarding of tenders have been done. Pillar work on Bilimora-Surat stretch of 61 km is complete and work has also started for Surat terminal building," officials said.
"
Ahmedabad terminal hub is expected to be completed by next two to three months," some officials said. As a result, the trial run of the bullet train on 49-km Bilimora-Surat stretch is likely to be extended to 2026-27.
The bullet train project has been estimated at over Rs 1 lakh crore. Of this, 81 percent of the project cost is via a Japanese soft loan.
As part of a cooperation agreement between India and Japan, the government of Japan was to provide a soft loan of about Rs 88,000 crore at an interest rate of 0.1 percent. The repayment period of the loan is 50 years. Repayment of the loan is to begin after 15 years of receiving the loan.
(Edited by : Akriti Anand)
First Published: Jun 6, 2022 10:13 AM IST