Work on Mumbai's origin station for bullet train progressing fast: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday that the work to construct the bullet train's origin station at BKC in Mumbai is progressing rapidly.

Vaishnaw visited the under-construction underground station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and reviewed its on-ground progress.

He was accompanied by officials from the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is executing the over 500 km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, along with representatives from Central Railway and Western Railway.

He said the lowest B3 basement level and the strengthening of the station walls have been completed.

"The work at the bullet train's origin station in BKC is progressing very fast. The station wall work has been started, and simultaneously, the tunnel work is progressing very fast," the Railway Minister told reporters.

Beyond the tunnel portion (Shil Phata), all ongoing works are moving at a high speed in the Maharashtra section following the land acquisition, he added.

He said a multi-storey structure is planned at the BKC station.

"The operational areas will be located on levels B1 to B3. The B3 will serve as a train parking area, B2 will house operational functions, and B1 with the ground level will serve passengers. Work is underway to build this world-class station," he added.

NHSRCL officials said that approximately 76 per cent of the excavation work at the BKC bullet train station has been completed.

Following the inspection, the Minister proceeded to Pune, where he was scheduled to flag off two long-distance trains later in the evening.

The total cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor project is estimated at Rs 1.08 lakh crore. As per the shareholding arrangement, the Government of India will contribute Rs 10,000 crore, while the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra will each contribute Rs 5,000 crore. The remaining funding will be provided through a loan from Japan at 0.1 per cent interest.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had last week said that the ambitious bullet train project will become operational by 2028.