Mumbai: Bullet train project chugs ahead

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project has moved ahead with work orders for a 237-km section in Gujarat of the total 508-km line in place. Construction company Larsen & Toubro won the bid for the construction.

"Financial bids for the design and construction of the 237-km viaduct for the 508 kms of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor were opened and Larsen & Toubro Ltd is the lowest bidder," a spokesperson from the National High Speed Railway Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said. Larsen & Toubro bid Rs 24,985 crore to construct the line under package C4.

This 237-km section starts at the Maharashtra-Gujarat border and ends at Vadodara station. Over 85 per cent of the required land has been acquired. "This work order covers about 47 per cent of the total alignment of 508 km between Vapi (Zaroli Village at Maharashtra-Gujarat Border) and Vadodara. This includes four bullet train stations — Vapi, Billimora, Surat and Bharuch, and Surat depot," the spokesperson said.

Bid for work on depot

The NHSRCL had invited bids for the project, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), on March 15. The NHSRCL has also invited bids for preparatory works to construct the Sabarmati train maintenance depot. It will be the largest depot of the three planned for the MAHSR corridor. Other depots will be at Surat (Gujarat) and Thane (Maharashtra).

The Sabarmati Depot will cover an area of approximately 84 hectares and will be utilised for inspection, maintenance, cleaning and parking of MAHSR trainsets. Trainset washing facilities shall also be located in the depot.

The bullet train will be designed to cover the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in two hours and 57 minutes with 12 halts, including the originating and final station.

It will start from Bandra Kurla Complex from an underground station, traverse an undersea tunnel till Thane and then become elevated. The frequency of train service at peak hours will be 20 minutes.

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