Work on Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project as per schedule, says Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that the work on India's first bullet train project from Mumbai-Ahmedabad is going on as per schedule.

Speaking to reporters in Gujarat's Gandhinagar on Thursday, Vaishnaw said, "... 270km long wire duct has been put in place. Work is going on as per schedule. The work of the Mumbai-Thane under-sea tunnel has also begun... The construction of bridges on eight rivers that will lie on the route is going on rapidly. Two bridges have already been completed. The work on Sabarmati terminal station is also nearly completed..."

On Monday, Vaishnaw had said that the land acquisition for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train project has been completed across Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

In a post on X, he said the land acquisition is 100% while pier casting has been done across 268.5 km and girder launching 120.4 km.

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He added the 1389.49 hectares of land required for the project was acquired.

The ambitious Japan-backed project has been delayed due to earlier protests against land acquisition. It was sought to be completed by 2023. Of the 508.17 km of the project, 155.76 km is in Maharashtra, 384.04 km in Gujarat, and 4.3 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is overseeing the project, said all civil contracts have been awarded in Gujarat and Maharashtra. “The laying of [the] first Reinforced Concrete (RC) track bed for the MAHSR corridor track system as used in Japanese Shinkansen [bullet trains] has started in Surat and Anand. This is for the first time, the J-slab ballastless track system is being used in India,” NHSRCL said in a statement.

The original cost estimate of $14bn is thought to have risen to around $20bn.

Meanwhile, talking about building the capacity of railways for Ayodhya Dham, Vaishnav said, "There are five stations in Ayodhya and the stations are being developed to increase the capacity of all. The line coming from Lucknow is being doubled and the line going to Varanasi is also being doubled. The capacity of the line coming from Prayagraj and Gorakhpur are also being increased..."

The consecration ceremony at the Ram temple will be organised in Ayodhya on 22 January.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and thousands of seers from across the country have been invited for the ceremony.

More than a lakh devotees are expected to descend on the temple town on the occasion of "pran pratishtha" (consecration).

With inputs from agencies