The stuck high-speed bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad got a fresh lease of life as the project implementing agency National High Speed Railway Corporation (NHSRCL) invited bids for the construction of an underground station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said in a tweet: “Bids invited for design and construction of Mumbai underground station and tunnels for #BulletTrain.”
The bullet train project will be run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai on a high speed rail corridor at a speed of 320 kmph, covering a distance of 508 km and 12 stations in just 3 hours. The travel time between the two cities is currently nearly six hours. The total cost of the project is Rs 1.08 lakh crore and as per the shareholding pattern, the central government is to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved – Gujarat and Maharashtra – are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each. The rest is to be paid by Japan through a loan at 0.1 per cent interest.