Work for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, which is one of the most awaited bullet trains, has finally begun. Soil testing for this project was done on Sunday, 19th Feb 2017. The construction of the main corridor will begin in 2018 and is expected to be finished by 2023. The 508 km long rail corridor will cover 12 stations and will have a 21 km tunnel under the sea.
As per a report provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the train will run at a speed of 350 km/h under the sea. The total distance of 508 km will be covered by the train in 2 hours.
Some of the features of this bullet train will be —
- Top speed of the bullet train will be 350 km/h
- Estimated cost of the project is about Rs 97,636 crore
- Travel time is reduced to 2 hours from existing 6-7 hours
- Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail corridor work to begin in 2018 and finished in 2023
- Fares will be likely to be 1.5 times the AC train fare
- 81% of funding will come by way of a loan from Japan
The 12 stations covered by the train include Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati. The Indian Railways has allotted Rs 200 crore for this train in which Maharashtra and Gujarat will have equity of 25% each, and the Indian Railways will have 50%.
