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Indian Express
08-08-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Why has the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project been delayed? Ashwini Vaishnaw answers
Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited is rapidly progressing to operationalise the country's first bullet train network between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Recently, in a written statement in Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor is planned to be completed by 2027. 'The Gujarat portion of the corridor between Vapi and Sabarmati is planned to be completed by December 2027. The entire project {Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to Sabarmati section} is expected to be completed by December 2029,' the minister said. One of the biggest questions now is why this ambitious project has been delayed. Initially, the Ministry of Railways had planned to make the first section of the MAHSR corridor operational by 2026. Interacting with the media on February 23, 2024, Vaishnaw said, 'This is the country's first High Speed Corridor project…To further speed up the project certain innovations have been made. Instead of working only at one place at a time, work has begun from four places parallelly. It is targeted that the first section of the High Speed Rail corridor between Surat and Bilimora will begin functioning in July/August 2026. Subsequently one after the another other sections will open.' During the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament, Lok Sabha MP Jai Prakash asked Railway Minister about the current status of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor and whether the country's most ambitious rail project is running behind schedule. In response, Vaishnaw said the MAHSR project was delayed due to setbacks in land acquisition in Maharashtra, which impacted the project till 2021. 'The delay in land acquisition in the State of Maharashtra impacted the project till 2021. Thereafter, the land acquition picked up, currently, entire land (1389.5 Ha.) for MAHSR project has been acquired,' the minister said on July 6. He also stated that all Statutory Clearances relating to wildlife, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Forest clearance have been obtained. 'All the civil contracts of the project have been awarded. Out of total 28 tender packages, 24 tender packages have been awarded. All 1651 utilities have been shifted,' Vaishnaw added. Out of total 12 stations, foundation works has been completed at 8 stations – Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. In Maharashtra section, foundation work is in progress at 3 stations (Thane, Virar, Boisar) and excavation work at BKC station is near completion and Casting of base slab started. 16 river bridges have been completed. Work is in advance stage at 5 major river bridges (Narmada, Vishwamitri, Mahi, Tapti and Sabarmati) in Gujarat and in progress in 4 river bridges in Maharashtra. Work on Depots (Thane, Surat and Sabarmati) is in full swing. Work of the only tunnel in Gujarat has been completed. The work of the under-sea tunnel (21Km approx.) has started. Out of which, 4.0 km tunnel between Ghansoli and Shilphata in Maharashtra has been completed. Anish Mondal is a business journalist with over nine years of experience. He writes on diverse subjects such as Infrastructure, Railways, Roadways, Aviation, Politics, Market, Parliamentary affairs, Corporate earnings, General and International news etc. ... Read More
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will be completed by 2028, says Maharashtra CM Fadnavis
The ambitious bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be completed by 2028, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Monday. During the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, the bullet train project was put on hold indefinitely, bringing the work to a standstill in Maharashtra. Expressing disappointment with the MVA government's decision to stop the project, Fadnavis said, 'When you have a mega infrastructure project worth Rs 70,000 to 80,000 crore, the delay leads to cost escalation. The rate of interest also rises. It is the state government which has to bear the financial burden.' At the same time, the ongoing work in the neighbouring state of Gujarat continued unhindered. 'They are now way ahead of us in the project. But after the Mahayuti government came to power, the project was expedited,' Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai. The Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor, which was approved a decade ago has been under construction. The project, when completed, will help operate trains at a speed of 320 km per hour. There will be 12 stations, including Mumbai, Thane, Virar and Boisar in Maharashtra, on the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad stretch.
