Maharashtra lacks willpower for Bullet: Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Days after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar ‘supported’ the bullet train project, the Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw alleged that the state government does not have the willpower to implement the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project as acquisition of around 30 per cent land is still not complete. However, Vaishnaw said he is fully confident to run the country’s first bullet train between Surat and Billmora in 2026.

“There has been good progress in the construction of infrastructure for the bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, and the work is being done at a high speed,” Vaishnaw said on Monday, adding that Surat’s will be the first bullet train of India, for which construction work will be completed by 2024. Apart from Surat, work on three more stations – Vapi, Bilimora and Bharuch – is in full swing and also likely to complete by 2024. He said every month around 300 pillars are being erected, covering a distance of around 12 km.

Vaishnaw said Maharashtra should work with the spirit of cooperation and collaboration on the project. He said, “This is a national project and there should not be any politics over it. I believe we would set an example of working together on this project... The progress (in Maharashtra section) is slow. We hope there will be more progress.” In Maharashtra, the project covers Mumbai, Thane and Palghar, requiring 433.82 hectare land, out of which 310.14 hectare has been acquired so far, and 123 hectare is still needed.