Plan on Mumbai-Hyd Bullet train picks up pace, DPR by early 2022

Mumbai: A public consultation meeting was organised in Thane recently, where stakeholders were informed about the Social Impact Assessment and Environment Impact Assessment studies required for the preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed alignment of Mumbai-Hyderabad high speed rail corridors. Ministry of Railways has entrusted National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) for preparing detailed project reports for seven high speed rail corridors for the proposed Bullet Train in India. Talking to Bizz Buzz, Rajesh Narvekar, Collector of Thane, who chaired the meeting, said: "It was a meeting for environmental and social impact assessment. A total of 50 persons turned up for the meeting. To begin with we are planning to acquire 20 hectares of land somewhere near Thane or Kalyan for the purpose."

A total of 1,200 hectares of land will be required in the Thane district alone for the purpose. However, he didn't disclose anything on the proposed date for the completion of the ambitious project.

The length of proposed Mumbai- Hyderabad HSR corridor is approximately 650km and will be covering 4 districts: Thane, Raigad, Pune, Solapur in the state of Maharashtra, 1 district, Gulbarga in the state of Karnataka and 3 districts- Vikarabad, Rangareddy, Sangareddy in the state of Telangana. "This project is not yet sanctioned by the government and the DPR is expected to be submitted by early next year," Sushma Gaur, Spokesperson, NHSRCL said.

Once became operational, the Bullet train will take just three hours to travel between Mumbai and Hyderabad. This could be possible in the near future. The authorities concerned have already prepared a feasibility report and survey is on between Mumbai and Hyderabad. If one were to take a regular train from Hyderabad to Mumbai, it would take 14 hours to cover nearly 650 km of distance. But the bullet train or the Mumbai- Hyderabad High Speed Rail could take just three hours. If given nod, the high-speed rail line will connect Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad through 11 stations in Maharashtra and Telangana. NHSRC deputy general manager NK Patil made a detailed presentation on the project in the presence of Thane Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition) Prashant Suryavanshi and other officials.

He told the meeting that the entire 649.76km route will be a green corridor. The work of preparation of the DPR (Detailed Project Report) is presently underway.

A total of ten stations including Thane, Navi Mumbai, Lonavala, Pune, Baramati, Pandharpur, Solapur, Gulbarga, Vikarabad and Hyderabad are included in the proposed project. The rail line will cover four districts of Thane, Raigad, Pune and Solapur.

The proposed rail corridor is planned to run along major expressways, national highways, greenfield areas, and may pass through arterial roads of the intermediate city road network for high-speed rail connectivity between different cities along the corridor. Drones are being used for the survey of the land required for the project.