Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train work on track, but Maharashtra yet to acquire land

Work pertaining to the bullet train project in Gujarat is running if full swing, but land acquisition in Maharashtra has not yet been completed. So far 75 km of pier work and 156 km of piling work for the bullet train project has been completed in the Gujarat section. “Apart from that, construction work of all eight stations is also being carried out at a rapid pace,” an official said, adding that land acquisition in Maharashtra is still about 27 per cent short of completion.

However, officials are hopeful of speedy land acquisition after formation of the new government in Maharashtra. “The total land required in Maharashtra is 433.82 hectare (Ha), of which physical possession of approximately 39 per cent (168 Ha) has been received. However, a regular award process is underway in Maharashtra and 72.25 per cent (313.42 Ha) of land has been acquired till the date," said an official.

Regarding the land acquisition status in Gujarat, officials said, “Around 99 per cent of the land acquisition process has already been completed and civil and track work is in progress,” an official said, adding that authorities are trying to start bullet train operations between Surat and Billmora in 2026.

Of the 508-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train project, around 352 km falls in Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, while the rest is in Maharashtra. Every month around 300 pillars are being erected, covering a distance of around 12 km in Gujarat. However, in Maharashtra, this has yet to be started.

The initial deadline for completion of project work was set for 2022 end. However, the deadline was extended numerous times and now the first phase of the project – a 51-km stretch between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat – is likely to be operational only in 2026, with the remaining part of the project in Gujarat expected to be ready by 2028.

Published on: Saturday, July 16, 2022, 10:35 PM IST