Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor design to be tweaked

NEW DELHI: The design and alignment of the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor will be tweaked after the Maharashtra government refused to spare land

NEW DELHI: The design and alignment of the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor will be tweaked after the Maharashtra government refused to spare land at Bandra-Kurla Complex to build the originating station, according to railway sources.

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The government owns 28 hectares in BKC. Although the railways need 4.5 hectares underground and 0.9 hectares on surface level, the state has expressed reservations on grounds that it could affect their plan to build an international financial services centre at the complex.

The government has suggested the station be moved to a location at Bandra Reclamation.

“We suggested to the railway officials a few plots in the city, including one near Bandra station. They were supposed check their feasibility. We are awaiting their reply. We will not be able to develop IFSC if the station comes up on BKC land. The CM will take a decision if the railway department insists on BKC land,” said a top official.

The state is seeking Centre’s nod for the finance centre, by demarcating the entire area as special economic zone. Preliminary estimates on the impact of relocation of the originating station are likely to be made available at a meeting of the board of directors of the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) on August 30.

India’s entry into the high-speed rail club is likely to come at a higher price, with an interministerial committee headed by Niti Ayog vice-chairman Arvind Pangariya recommending the line be built entirely as an elevated corridor. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) – which is financing the project – estimates that a decision on the elevated route could push up the overall project cost to approximately Rs1,07,000 crore. Initial estimates had placed the figure at Rs96,000 crore.

The Pangariya committee had suggested that the high speed station at Bandra-Kurla could actually contribute as a force multiplier to the state government’s plans on setting up a financial centre.

“There is no agreement on this between the state and the Centre,” officials said.

Meantime, the railways are readying plans to advertise posts of managing director and three directors to the NHSRC. “It will be possible to freeze designs and start preliminary civil works by next year”, officials said.

The project – aimed to reduce travel distance between the two cities from the existing five to two hours – is targeted to be completed in 2023 for the start of commercial operations from next year.