Bullet train project gaining pace now

Project progress

- Pillars for 200 km in Guj have been built

- Tendering for civil works is over

- Technical bids for tunnel works floated

- PM Modi is closely monitoring the project

- Project is expected to be finished by 2027

New Delhi: Construction of the 352-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor (MAHSR) has got a fillip with 100 per cent land acquisition in Gujarat, Daman and Diu, and almost complete acquisition in Maharashtra. The corridor is being built for the bullet train. National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) has acquired 99.75 per cent of the required land in Maharashtra for the MAHSR. The remaining 0.25 per cent land belongs to government entities, so its acquisition would not be a problem, official sources told Bizz Buzz. NHSRC has the consent for acquisition of land in Maharashtra and the physical possession will soon be taken, the source added.

When Uddhav Thackeray headed the state government, NHSRC had a tough time getting land. Till June last year, when Thackeray was replaced by Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister, the corporation was able to acquire just 80 per cent of the required land in the state; physical possession was even lower at 72 per cent. Sources said that the land acquisition in Maharashtra gained pace under the Eknath Shinde government.

NHSRC officials are upbeat after the Bombay High Court recently gave verdict in favour of the corporation in a dispute with Godrej & Boyce for a tiny piece of land. Calling the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train as a “dream project of this country and of national importance and in public interest,” the court dismissed a petition by Godrej & Boyce challenging the acquisition proceedings. The proceedings were begun by the Maharashtra government and NHSRCL in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area for the project. Pillars for 200 km in Gujarat have been built. Tendering for civil works has been completed. Technical bids for tunnel works have been floated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the project, sources said. MAHSR construction was expected to begin by April 2020 and to be finished by December 2023. Now, it is expected to be complete in 2027. Delays in acquiring land in Maharashtra is said to be the main reason for the time overrun.

Incorporated in February 2016, NHSRCL is a special purpose vehicle or SPV. Its objective is to finance, construct, maintain, and manage the high speed rail corridor. Its equity is held by the Central government, through the Ministry of Railways, and the state governments of and Maharashtra.The bullet train project is expected to cost Rs110,000 crore, out of which Rs88,000 crore is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at a nominal rate of interest.