More than 98% land acquired for bullet train project in Maharashtra: Govt

Work on the railways' ambitious bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has gained momentum, with the ministry claiming on Monday that more than 98 per cent of the land has been acquired for the project in Maharashtra.

Piers have been erected for a distance of more than 118 kilometres, girders are being launched and the work on the construction of bullet train stations has also started, the railway ministry said.

With the change of government in Maharashtra, the pain points in the project in terms of forest clearances and land acquisition seem to have been overcome.

In a series of tweets, the ministry claimed that while 98.22 per cent land has been acquired in Maharashtra, in Gujarat, 98.87 per cent land has been acquired and in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 100 per cent of the land has been acquired for the project.

The physical progress till November 23 was 24.1 per cent, the ministry said, adding that while almost 30 per cent of the work has been completed in Gujarat, in Maharashtra, around 13 per cent has so far been achieved.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is of 508 km and most of it is in Gujarat. In Maharashtra, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), the implementing agency of the project, has to develop the Bandra-Kurla Complex and the network in Thane, Virar and Boisar.

Officials said almost all the civil work have been allotted in Gujarat, along with construction of piers (pillars) and all small and big bridges across rivers. The work of placing girders on the piers has also started.

The contract for the construction of a bullet train station at the Bandra-Kurla Complex and the one for the construction of an underground tunnel have also been allotted. Pier and girder works will soon be visible in Maharashtra like in Gujarat, officials said.

In Gujarat, the construction of bullet train stations has started in Anand, Surat, Vadodara, Bharuch, Vilimora, Vapi and Navsari districts.