First images of Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train released.
The first visuals of the E5 Series Shinkansen, also known as Japan’s bullet train, has been released by the Japanese embassy. The Embassy of Japan in India has said that the train will be modified for use as rolling stock of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project (MAHSR).
The 508-kilometre MAHSR or the bullet train project has been sanctioned by the government with a target to be completed by 2023.
The project is being executed by a special purpose vehicle named National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) with both financial and technical assistance from the Japanese government. The project is estimated to cost Rs 1,08,000 crores.
After the completion of the project, the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be completed in just two hours. The bullet train is likely to have a maximum speed of 350 km/hr and an average speed of 320 km/hr.
L&T Construction’s transportation infrastructure business secured a ‘mega-contract’ from NHSRCL to construct 87.569 kilometre of the MAHSR in November 2020. It may be noted that L&T categorises contracts above Rs 7,000 crore in the ‘mega’ category.
However, acquiring land for the project seems to be the biggest roadblock at the moment. In September, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said over 80 per cent of land for the bullet train project has been acquired in Gujarat, but not even 25 per cent land has been acquired in Maharashtra.
It is worth mentioning that the total land required for the project is 1,380 hectares — Roughly 940 hectare in Gujarat, 431 hectares in Maharashtra and 8.70 hectares in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
While land acquisition remains a hurdle, the bullet train project is likely to see state-of-the-art features. Besides, the NHSRCL has also envisaged integration of passenger terminals of the bullet train service with the Railways and Metro at Sabarmati and Ahmedabad
