All About Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor or Bullet Train will India's first high speed railway line. The estimated cost of the project is much more than expected. After this, the journey between the two mega cities, Mumbai to Ahmedabad will completed in just two hours. Currently the journey takes at least 10 hours if the delays will not considered. 

The train can travel at the speed of 320 KM/Hr; but it has capacity to run at the top speed of 350 KM/Hr.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone for the project in Ahmedabad on 14 September 2017. All geo-technical surveys and tests under the sea bed for the underground section were completed by December 2017. Civil construction of the corridor was expected to begin by June 2018, and the project was scheduled to be completed in 2023.

Japanese embassy to India has released its first visuals. The construction work was set to begin in April; but because of the pandemic the project date was delayed. The project is set to be ready by 2024. The project will use Japan Railway's Shinkansen E5 series as its rolling stock. Have a look at the first visuals.

(Image From - pixabay.com | By Andy Leung HK) 

The Japanese Embassy recently released the visuals of the project. The project has suffered conflicts for acquiring land areas. The land acquisition process is still in progress. While the tender for making at least 28 steel bridges is allocated separately and some are underway. 

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Which Series of Bullet Train Is It For Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project?

While releasing the visuals of the first Bullet Train of India, the Japanese Embassy to India has stated that the Bullet train is Shinkansen E5 series train. This train is famously known as the Japan's Bullet Train. The company has said that the train will modified for rolling stock of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project.

Twenty four E5 Series Shinkansen train sets will be procured to operate on the corridor, of which 6 are to be assembled in India. The trains will be modified to operate under Indian weather. Trains in Japan can withstand temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius but the Indian trains will be able to operate at temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius; this can be achieved with the use of special cooling systems and air conditioners. 

Besides, in many of the 11 tenders originally meant to be executed by Japanese companies, the prices quoted were up to 90 per cent higher than estimates indicated by the project consultants. India has refused to accept the huge escalation, it is learnt.

Shinkansen routes are completely separate from conventional rail lines (except Mini-Shinkansen which goes through to conventional lines).

The bullet train, or “Shinkansen”, is a type of passenger train which operates on Japan’s high-speed railway network. Capable of reaching a maximum speed of 320kms per hour, the bullet train offers riders an exceptionally unique and efficient travel experience. 

The list of Shinkansen train lines includes the Akita, Hokuriku, Joetsu, Kyushu, and Yamagata. While some routes are especially popular among travelers.

The Shinkansen has had a significant beneficial effect on Japan's business, economy, society, environment and culture beyond mere construction and operational contributions. The results in time savings alone from switching from a conventional to a high-speed network have been estimated at 400 million hours, and the system has an economic impact of ¥500 billion per year.

The project or MAHSR will cover 508 KMs area and is also got sanctioned by the Government. 

What is the cost of the bullet train?

The estimated cost of the project is around INR 1,08,000 Cr. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year 2023. The reports has said that the project may take some more time and could be completed by the early or mid 2024. The reason behind the delay is pandemic. 

The Japanese government has promised to support the project through both financially and technically.

Which Company Is Constructing The Railway Line?

The L&T Construction, the construction group of Larsen & Toubro has won the bid. The company will make the transportation line for MAHSR. There were so many key players who were interested in constructing the project. It includes the Tata Projects, J Kumar Infra Projects, Afcon Infrastructure Projects, Ircon Infra Projects and JMC Projects.   

The Larsen and Toubro Construction will responsible for making some important landmarks which is being called as C6. 

• River bridges
• Maintenance Depot
• One station
• Construction of Viaducts
• Other auxiliary works.

This specific package will carry out 17.2% of the total length, running elevated from the purlieu of Vadodara to the purlieu of Ahmedabad. Also with one station at Anand or Nadiad. 

What is current status of Bullet train in India?

V. K. Yadav the chairman of the Indian Railway Board said that 82% land for the MAHSR in Gujarat is acquired. In Maharashtra, this ratio is only at 23%. Total 1380 Hectares of land is required for this project. From Gujarat 939.69 Hectares and from Maharashtra 431.2 Hectares of land is required. Whereas 8.70 hectares is from Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

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The NHSRCL (National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited) has foretell the integration of passenger terminals of the bullet train along with the Railways and Metro lines at Sabarmati and Ahmedabad. To provide this integration, some of railways facilities will shifted to the different areas. 

The Bullet Train project in Ahmedabad will responsible for migration of the local areas, drainage systems, telecom and electricity towers, etc. It will also affect the local roads.

What Is Current Scenario?

Survey work on the route began in January 2017. According to NHSRC director Mukul Saran Mathur, "The geo-technical surveys have started along the entire route between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and is expected to take two to three months. The activities that have begun include geo-technical and geo-physical investigations into the 21-kilometre, under-water tunnel of the project as well as the Final Location Survey.

The land acquisition is almost done in the state of Gujarat. The Maharashtra government or the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not considering the project and wants to suspend it. This is a prime reason why in the state of Maharashtra there is no work underway. 

According to the reports, the journey in Bullet Train will take only 2 hours for Mumbai to Ahmedabad.

Routes for The Bullet Train

These routes are from the latest media reports.

1. Delhi - Amritsar
2. Varanasi - Howrah
3. Delhi - Varanasi
4. Delhi - Ahmedabad
5. Mumbai - Hyderabad
6. Mumbai - Nagpur
7. Chennai - Mysore