'Trying to complete bullet train project by 2022'

Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said India's ambitious bullet train project is likely to be completed by 2022, a year ahead of its estimated deadline, which is December 2023.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, the Union Minister said, "The bullet train project is on track. In this country, every project has certain difficulties and issues that have to be addressed as you progress in the project. We are working for the acquisition of land in Maharashtra and Gujarat. There are some concerns with local people and a dialogue is going on. I am very confident very soon we will and I am very confident that very soon we will resolve it. We are trying our best to complete the work by 2022 before its deadline, 2023."

"The Indian Railways is working day and night to complete the much-awaited Bullet train project by 2022," the Union Minister said.

On May 6, Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister, Akimoto Masatoshi inspected the sites for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train and the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro rail projects, respectively.

The bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai will run a total length of 508 km, of which 21 km will be covered in the tunnel under sea.

The cost of the tunnel is estimated at Rs 3,500 crores.

The cost of the total train project is Rs 1.10 trillion, and Japan is giving a loan of Rs. 88,000 crores for the same at a minimal interest of 0.1 per cent, which has to be repaid over 50 years.