Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: Contract signed with L&T for alignment works

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Thursday signed an agreement for the country's biggest infrastructure contract for design and construction of 47 percent alignment for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

The contract signed with Larsen & Turbo also includes four stations namely Vapi, Billimora, Surat and Bharuch, Surat Depot, 14 river crossings, 42 road crossings and six railway crossings including one mountain tunnel of 350 metres length, the NHSRCL said in a statement.

"The NHSRCL signed contract agreement with Larsen & Toubro Limited today for the design and construction of 237 km length of viaduct between Vapi (Zaroli Village at Maharashtra- Gujarat Border) and Vadodara in the state of Gujarat for 508 kms of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor," the statement from the company said.

Satoshi Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to India, was present at the event along with senior officials of the Railway Board and NHSRCL.

Technical bids for this tender were opened on September 23 and in less than one month, the financial bids were opened after evaluation of the technical bids, it said.

The duration for completion of the works is four years from the date of commencement of the contract.

"During the construction phase of this section, the areas around the alignment will witness social and economic development. There will be employment generation not only for the professionals like engineers, technicians, designers, architects etc but also for skilled and semi-skilled workforce and construction workers.

"There will be a boost in the demand of construction material and machinery like cement, steel, heavy construction machinery, cranes, trailers, etc. The ancillary industries like hospitality, entertainment, health, tourism, real estate and housing and education will also flourish during the construction," the statement said.