“The bullet train project has to be seen from the perspective of integrating economies,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday (March 23) said that India’s first bullet train project – Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is “progressing very well”. The Railway Minister informed that the first corridor of Mumbai to Ahmedabad bullet train project would help in integrating economies.
“The bullet train project has to be seen from the perspective of integrating economies. In the first corridor that Indian railways is doing, Mumbai, Thane, Vapi, Baroda, Surat, Anand and Ahmedabad – all these economies will become one single economy. So you can have breakfast in Surat, go and complete your work in Mumbai, and come back with your family in the night,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said at the NDTV Indian of the Year awards.
Moreover, Vaishnaw also spoke on the affordability of the bullet train. When questioned regarding the comparative cost between bullet train tickets and airfares, Vaishnaw said, “Most of the places where bullet train projects have gone, they have taken 90% of the transportation share.”
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has been making steady progess since November 2021. Additionally, Vaishnaw informed that bridges have been constructed over more than eight rivers as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor.
It may be noted that the India’s bullet train project plans to deploy Japan’s Shinkansen Technology at an estimated cost of Rs 1.10 lakh crore and services are expected to begin by 2026.
Earlier, last month, Vaishnaw announced that the initial segment of the bullet train project, running from Bilimora to Surat, is expected to be completed by 2026. He also added that the trials on this route will be conducted using the E5 series of Shinkansen trains.
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At the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, the minister assured that the 35-km-long stretch between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat will be completed and opened to the public by the set deadline. He previously mentioned that approximately 14-15 km of the stretch are being constructed each month.
Upon its full completion, the high-speed rail line will encompass a total of 12 bullet train stations. These proposed stations comprise Mumbai, Boisar, Vapi, Virar, Thane, Bilimora, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand/Nadiad, Surat, and Sabarmati Ahmedabad.
