Work on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is expected to pick up pace as almost all the land required for the project has now been acquired and of the total 28 contract packages that are to be given for carrying out work on the project, as many as 23 have already been given.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today stated: “The delay in land acquisition especially in Maharashtra has impacted the project. Out of total land requirement of approx. 430.45 ha, only about 196.19 ha. land was acquired till 2021. Thereafter, land acquisition gradually progressed which is now 429.53 ha. in June, 2023.”

The anticipated timeline and final project cost can be ascertained only after completion of land acquisition and finalisation of all contracts, the minister said.

A financial expenditure of Rs. 45,621.17 crore has been incurred on the project until now.

The minister further stated that as per Joint Feasibility Study report of 2015, the project cost of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Corridor was estimated as Rs. 1,08,000 crore and the completion period was indicated as 8 years. The timeline of completing the project is also dependent on the availability of land and site. The current status of the MAHSR Project is as under:

· All the civil contracts of the project have been awarded.

· The entire project has been divided into 28 Contract packages and 23 packages have been awarded.

· Total 248.64 km of foundation and 206.96 km of the pier have been completed, 95.4 km of Girder Casting have been done and 69.8 Km of Girder have been Launched (Superstructure).

· 1612 out of 1651 utilities shifted.

The ambitious bullet train project is a joint venture between India and Japan that will reduce travel time between the two cities from the 7 hours at present to just 2 hours, making it a game-changer for the country’s transportation sector.