Dandi March theme for India's first bullet train terminal

Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March will be the theme of Sabarmati Station in Ahmedabad which will be the terminating station of the proposed high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai-Ahmedabad, a senior official said today.

Passengers boarding the bullet train from Sabarmati Station will have to pay Rs 3,000 to reach Mumbai, he told reporters.

It would the first bullet train station whose design has been finalised by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd.

Achal Khare, the managing director of NHSRCL, said the cost of building the station is approximately Rs 250 crore.

He said the station area will have a three-level parking that can accommodate around 1,500 vehicles. While one level will be for cars, another will be for bus and the third will be for autos, thus ensuring seamless travel for passengers.

While passengers from two metro stations and stations on the Indian Railway network can arrive at Sabarmati passenger terminal hub, they can move to Sabarmati Station via a foot-over-bridge connecting the two buildings, which are 400 metres apart, and board the bullet train from there.

"It will be a state-of-art complex with Dandi March being the theme of the edifice," Khare said.

Roof-top solar panels will be designed resembling a revolving charkha and the terminal will be connected with a 400-metre foot-over-bridge with the platforms.

Construction work for the government's ambitious project is expected to start from December this year after completion of land acquisition, Khare said.

The proposed bullet train will run approximately 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad at a top speed of 320 kmph. It will make 70 trips per day between Mumbai and Ahmedabad at an interval of 20 minutes and each rake will have 10 coaches.

The deadline for the project is August 15, 2022.