Bullet train project slowed down under Uddhav Thackeray govt: Vaishnaw

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the countrys first bullet train project would have seen much progress by now had the then Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra expedited permissionsVaishnaw asserted that the highspeed line will usher in economic growth newswire PTI reportedSpeaking to media persons while inspecting the work on the project here Vaishnaw announced that the SuratBilimora section on the 508kmlong corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad could be operational by JulyAugust 2026The other sections will be opened one after the other thereafter he saidThe bullet train corridor will have limited stop and all stop services While the limitedstop trains will cover the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just two hours the other service will take about 2 hours 45 minutes the minister saidA total of 12 stations have been planned for the project which is being implemented by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited NHSRCLldquoHad the then Uddhav Thackeray government given all the permissions faster this project might have progressed much ahead by nowrdquo Vaishnav saidHe said as soon as the Eknath ShindeDevendra Fadnavis Shiv SenaBJP government came to power in the state permissions were given in 10 daysThe Maha Vikas Aghadi government under Thackeray fell in 2022 after Shinde split the Shiv Sena with his rebellion Shinde then aligned with the BJP to form the government and became the chief minister with Fadnavis taking the deputy CMs postThe railway minister said that the 284kmlong bullet train corridor viaduct is ready in Gujarat where work has progressed speedily It is now happening at the same speed in Maharashtra as well he saidThe Thackeray government unfortunately delayed the project much but they will try to ldquomake up for it nowrdquo he saidHighspeed rail projects should be seen from an economical standpoint and not as transport initiativesWith highspeed connectivity areas like Mumbai Thane Vapi Surat Vadodara Anand and Ahmedabad will turn into a single economic zone and it will give them a big economic boost the railway minister assertedTo speed up tunnel construction Vaishnaw said innovations have been made and work was started from four points at a time Of the four points two are shafts one ADIT additionally driven intermediate tunnel and one final point at BKC BandraKurla Complex stationHe said that there are complexities and difficulties tied to the corridor as trains will run at 320 kmph on it ldquoBut our biggest aim in this project is to understand this complete technologyrdquo he saidThe bullet train corridor has a 21kmlong tunnel including a 7km undersea stretch he said calling the work challengingThe deepest point of the tunnel is 56 metres and it will also be very wide with a width of 40 feet Inside the tunnel too the trains will run at the speed of 300320 kmph Vaishnaw saidldquoWe have many cities having a population of over 1 crore To give them lowcost and less time consuming transport systems our country needs to achieve mahrath expertise in such technologyrdquo he saidAccording to NHSRCL the 21km shaft which will have Indias first undersea tunnel is coming up between BKC in Mumbai and Shilphata in neighbouring Thane district It will be a single tube tunnel having Up and Down tracksWork on the tunnel is underway at BKC Vikhroli and Ghansoli NHSRCL said they are facing multiple challenges at these shaft construction sites which have high population density and several utilities like pipelines electrical installation and infrastructure projects including the Metro and highwaysThree Tunnel Boring Machines will be used to make about 16 km of the tunnel portion and the remaining 5 km will be through New Austrian Tunnelling Method NATM NHSRCL saidThe cost of the project is pegged at Rs 108 lakh crore and as per its shareholding pattern the Government of India is to pay Rs 10000 crore to the NHSRCL while the two states involved Gujarat and Maharashtra are to pay Rs 5000 crore eachThe rest is to be funded by Japan through a loan carrying 01 per cent interest With inputs from PTI