The Ministry of Railways shared the current progress report on the idea of India's first high-speed bullet train project on 23 July 2021, which is proposed between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. An amount of Rs 13,483 crore has been spent till June 2021 on Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project, specifically on the acquisition of land, utility shifting and contractual payments.
The ministry informed the media that the only approved High-Speed Rail (HSR) project in the country is the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, which is under implementation with financial and technical assistance from the Government of Japan. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was formed to execute the project, specifically National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
The Ministry told the media that the survey's financial location and Geotechnical investigation are finished, and the alignment between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has been finalised. They also said they acquired statutory clearances relating to Wildlife, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), and Forest Clearance from the relevant authorities and departments.
The consent agreement has been signed for around 1046 hectares of land out of the total land requirement of approximately 1396 hectares. About 1342 utilities have been shifted out of 1651, and the work is underway.
The whole Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project was branched into 27 Contract Packages, including the Training Institute at Vadodara.
Currently, seven packages have been awarded, and the National High-Speed Railway Project invited ten more packages.
The project has faced significant delays because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and slow progress in handing over the land to Maharashtra.
The Ministry of Railways assigned the work for the survey and preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to NHSRCL for seven more HSR corridors, including Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad and Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore routes of South India, and is under progress.
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