Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project Updates: NHSRCL Signs Contract With Japan International Consultants Consortium

National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) signed a contract with Japan International Consultants Consortium on 3 June 2022 for design-related advisory services for the construction stage of Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project. The consortium includes Japan International Consultants for Transportation Co. Ltd.(JIC), Nippon Koei Co. Ltd., and Oriental Consultants Global (OC Global).

Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR)

Presently, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) is the only sanctioned high speed rail project in the country. The project is being executed with the financial and technical assistance from the government of Japan.

The country’s first ‘bullet’ train, a nickname the train gets from its bullet-like shape and speed, will traverse along west India’s landscape, covering 508.17 km distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just about two hours. This will save time compared to current travel time between the two terminal stations by about nine hours (by bus) or six hours (by conventional railways).

The state-of-the-art high-speed train, running on the Japanese Shinkansen technology, will zip at speeds of 320 km per hour, which is more than double that of Indian Railways’ fastest train - the Gatiman Express that travels at 160 km/h.

The entire route of Ahmedabad- Mumbai bullet train will have 12 stations- eight in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra. Gujarat's stations include --Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand/Nadiad, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati, and stations in Maharashtra include Mumbai (BKC), Thane, Virar and Boisar.

National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL)

NHSRCL was incorporated on 12 February 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013 with an objective to finance, construct, maintain and manage the High Speed Rail Corridor in India.

The Company has been modelled as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ in the joint sector with equity participation by the central government through Ministry of Railways and two state governments viz. Government of Gujarat and Government of Maharashtra.

According to the Ministry of Railways all statutory clearances relating to wildlife, the coastal regulation zone (CRZ), and the forest clearance have been obtained for the project. Out of a total of the 1,396 hectares of land that is needed for the MAHSR project, around 89 per cent, approximately 1,248 hectares has been acquired.

In the state of Maharashtra, 68.65 per cent out of the total 297.81 hectares of land required for the Bullet Train project has been acquired. In the state of Gujarat, 98.76 per cent land out of 954.28 hectares required for the project has been acquired. The central government has acquired 100 per cent of the 7.9 hectares of land required in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The project is divided into 27 contract packages including Training Institute at Vadodara. At present, 13 packages have been awarded, three are under evaluation, and a notice inviting tender (NIT) has been invited for two packages, according to the Ministry.

Project execution

The project has hit a roadblock on the Maharashtra side due to land acquisition issues, but work has already started on the Gujarat side of the project.

In 2021, the first contract in the project was awarded for track work between Vapi and Vadodara. Out of the total 352 km length of the project located in Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, all civil and track works contracts have been awarded, with Rs 3,141 crore worth track work being given to infra giant L&T.

As far as Maharashtra is concerned, there are some issues in land acquisition at Mumbai BKC. Once the land acquisition procedure is finished, the NHSRCL will float tender in the next six month.

The trial run for the entire Gujarat section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train corridor will begin in the year 2026 and services for people will be rolled out by 2027, SC Agnihotri, Managing Director of NHSRCL said.

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