Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw drops major update on India’s bullet train project
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The Mumbai – Ahmedabad Bullet Train project will connect Maharashtra's Mumbai city, and Gujarat's Ahmedabad city through 12 stations at an estimated cost of US$15 billion
India’s first bullet train section, a 50-kilometre stretch connecting Bilimora and Surat cities in Gujarat, will be completed by August 2026, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday (Nov 29), as he announced the plans to overhaul the Indian railways network.
The remark follows an update provided by him last week where he announced that a significant step on the bullet train project had been achieved.
He had announced the completion of the 100 km of viaducts and 230 km of pier work for the bigger Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor, of which the Bilimora-Surat portion is a part.
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A viaduct is a long bridge-like structure supported by a series of arches or spans between tall towers that carry an elevated road or railway line. More than 90 per cent of the track of the 508km high-speed rail (HSR) corridor will be elevated.
Construction began in Nov 2021
The construction of the National High-Speed Railway corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad began in November 2021.
The Mumbai – Ahmedabad Bullet Train project will connect Maharashtra's Mumbai city, and Gujarat's Ahmedabad city through 12 stations at an estimated cost of US$15 billion, of which the federal government will be providing Rs 100 million, while Gujarat and Maharashtra will contribute Rs 50 million.
The remaining funding will be secured through a 50-year US$12 billion loan from Japan at a minimal interest rate of 0.1 per cent, with repayments scheduled to start 15 years after the line becomes operational.
Though the project faced initial hiccups due to land acquisition issues, the project has been progressing smoothly and the first kilometre of the viaduct was built in six months, and the 50th by April this year.
Project going on smoothly despite hiccups
Furthermore, bridges are being built over six rivers, the Par and Auranga in Valsad district, and the Purna, Mindhola, Ambika, and Venganiya in Navsari, as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor.
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The project’s contract was awarded to the Indian multinational company Larsen and Toubro.
It is being built under the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM)—a well-established technique used in India for rail and road projects in several mountainous regions.
According to officials, trains on this corridor will reach speeds of up to 350 km per hour.
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