China Railway to conduct high-speed rail study in India: report

Will conduct feasibility study for a 1,200 kilometre-long high-speed rail link between Delhi and Mumbai

A consortium led by China's national train operator has been chosen to conduct a feasibility study for a 1,200 kilometre-long high-speed rail link between Delhi and Mumbai, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The consortium includes China Railway's unit, the Third Railway Survey and Design Group, and local Indian firms, the news agency said, without providing names. It did not provide financial details of the award.

The contract was awarded by the High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd, a company set up by India's railway ministry, Xinhua said.

Xinhua said India's Ministry of Railways in December invited bids to study the feasibility of high-speed lines between Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai and Delhi-Kolkata. Twelve companies from seven countries including the United States, Germany and France tendered, it said.

A spokesman for India's railway ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries.

In November, an Indian railway ministry spokesman said China would conduct and pay for a feasibility study to link Delhi and the southern city of Chennai.