Modi-Abe to lay stone of bullet train project on Sept 14

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe will be laying the foundation stone of the Mumbai – Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project in Ahmedabad on September 14.

Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal briefed media on the project popularly known as Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train at Railway Board on Monday in presence of MoSR Manoj Sinha and Chairman, Railway Board, Ashwini Lohani.

“The bullet train technology would revolutionise and transform the transport sector. Work on the terminal at Sabarmati would start from September 14 itself,” Goyal told mediapersons here.

The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project would come up at an estimated cost of Rs 1,10,000 crore and about 825 hectares of land would be acquired for the purpose. “Out of this Rs 1,10,000 crore, Japan is giving a loan of Rs 88,000 crore and the interest on this loan is minimal, i.e. 0.1 per cent. This loan is to be repaid to Japan in 50 years with 15 years grace,” he said.

Of the 508-km stretch, 92 per cent of the route will be elevated, six per cent in tunnel and the rest two per cent will be on the ground. The high speed train will also pass through the country’s biggest tunnel of 21 km, of which seven km will be under the sea.

The distance of 508 km will be covered in two hours and seven minutes by the bullet train if it stops at four stations namely Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Mumbai.

According to official sources, one of the prime objectives of the project is “Make in India”, which will ensure that most of the amount invested in this project would be spent and utilized within the country. The construction sector in India will also get a big boost not only in terms of investment but also with respect to new technology and work culture. This project is likely to generate employment for about 20,000 workers during the construction phase. They will be trained specially to take up construction of such projects in India, the sources said.

A dedicated High Speed Rail Training Institute is also being developed at Vadodara and it will be functional by the end of 2020. In addition, 300 young officials of Indian Railways are being trained in Japan to give them exposure in high Speed Track Technology, the sources added.