Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project on fast track

'In three to four months, code of conduct will be in force in Maharashtra in the wake of Assembly polls. The Centre and Maharashtra government intend to complete the land acquisition before elections are announced," an official told DH on Tuesday

Encouraged with the results of the Lok Sabha elections and with an eye on the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, the work of the bullet train project is being expedited.

The bullet train or the high-speed rail corridor that would connect Mumbai to Ahmedabad is the pet project of prime minister Narendra Modi.

At a meeting in the "war room" at Mantralaya, the state secretariat, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the land acquisition project.

The bullet train will pass through the two states of Gujarat and Maharashtra and union territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

While in Gujarat, 60 per cent land acquisition is complete, in Maharashtra, the project had in the past seen protests.

In Maharashtra, the train will pass through the twin districts of Palghar and Thane before entering Mumbai.

The 508-km-long route starts from the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai and ends in Ahmedabad - and the journey is expected to take a little over two hours.

The 12 proposed stations are Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand/Nadia, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.

"As of now, joint measurement surveys (JMS) are underway," said a highly-placed official with the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd, that is implementing the project.

"In three to four months, code of conduct will be in force in Maharashtra in the wake of Vidhan Sabha polls. The governments at the Centre and Maharashtra intend to complete the land acquisition before elections are announced," the official told DH on Tuesday.

"Private land owners are coming forward," the official said, adding that the response has been very good in the Vasai area. "We are talking to various stakeholders and people are coming forward," he said. "Some land acquisition had already taken place," he said.

Nearly 73 villages in Palghar and 22 villages in Thane are to be acquired - that accounts for over 350 hectares of land. Once the JMS is complete, NHSRCL will undertake further steps.

The chief minister's office and the railway ministry are being sent regular updates, the official said.

The megaproject costs Rs 1,10,000 crore. To meet the cost, Japan is providing a long-term loan of Rs 88,000 crore at an interest of 0.1 per cent. While the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will bear 81 per cent of the cost, the rest would come from Gujarat and Maharashtra governments.

"In the past, farmers' group had staged protests in Palghar and Thane but now the results have reposed confidence in the Modi government. People want to get involved in the project," informed sources said.