Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project runs into snag due to land acquisition issues

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project — the bullet train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad — could miss its deadline of December 2023 due to difficulty in land acquisition in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project — the bullet train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad — could miss its deadline of December 2023 due to difficulty in land acquisition in Maharashtra.

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The 508.17-km bullet train project or high-speed rail corridor consists of 155.76-km stretch in Maharashtra, 348.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The estimated cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is ₹110,000 crore, of which ₹88,000 crore will be funding from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), an entity formed by the Railway Ministry to build the project, has invited tenders for the construction of stations, viaducts, river and road crossings in Gujarat. As per the initial estimates, the project was supposed to be ready by December 2023, but since the land acquisition is not yet completed, the construction of the train corridor has not yet begun in full swing in Maharashtra. NHSRCL officials are tight-lipped about the completion of the project in Maharashtra.

Suneet Sharma, chairman of Railway Board, while interacting with media personnel online on Wednesday said due to land acquisition concerns in Maharashtra, the completion target in the state cannot be determined.

“Work on the bullet train corridor is going on in full swing in Gujarat. However, there are land acquisition concerns in Maharashtra. In Palghar, Thane, BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex) and the under-sea tunnel that we will be making for the project, land acquisition is yet to be completed. We can only invite work tenders once the acquisition is done. A target frame line cannot be set on as of now,” said Sharma. He added, “We are constantly discussing with the Maharashtra government regarding the land availability for the project.”

Earlier in January, NHSRCL had invited final bids for the construction of the BKC railway station, which will be the first station of the high-speed railway corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had earlier questioned if the bullet train project was of any benefit to Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has appeared to be non-committal on the project ever since it came to power.

The ruling Shiv Sena has taken the stand that it would not allow land acquisition for the project if local people are not willing to give their land for the same. The party on Wednesday questioned the need of the project. “Right now the nation is going through the Covid-19 pandemic and even local trains are not operating. Once local trains start, services should be increased. Who needs the bullet train project? The priority is metro and monorail services for the city. There should be a give and take policy,” said Arvind Sawant, Sena chief spokesperson.