Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday that feasibility studies for the development of high-speed rail corridors have been initiated by the railways on three Golden Quadrilateral routes: Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Mumbai, and Mumbai-Chennai.
In a written response to an inquiry, the minister also stated that the railways have drafted detailed project reports (DPR) for the establishment of high-speed rail (HSR) corridors on seven routes, which include Delhi-Varanasi, Delhi-Ahmedabad, and Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar.
What more did Vaishnaw say?
Responding to inquiries raised by DMK MP P Wilson regarding the details of proposed high-speed rail corridors and whether the government has contemplated initiating a bullet train connecting Chennai with New Delhi, Vaishnaw emphasised that the decision to approve any HSR corridor/project hinges on numerous factors, including the results of DPR, techno-economic feasibility, resource availability, and financing options.
Wilson also inquired whether the government has formulated a visionary plan to establish bullet train corridors in every state by 2030.
The minister stated that thus far, one high-speed rail project, namely the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project, has been sanctioned by the government, with technical and financial support provided by the Government of Japan.
Feasibility studies have been conducted for the three Golden Quadrilateral routes: Delhi-Kolkata spanning 1,474 km, Delhi-Mumbai covering 1,402 km, and Mumbai-Chennai stretching over 1,317 km. The Golden Quadrilateral network interlinks Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.
Additionally, survey and detailed project report (DPR) preparations have been initiated for seven routes: Delhi-Varanasi (813 km), Delhi-Ahmedabad (878 km), Mumbai-Nagpur (765 km), Mumbai-Hyderabad (671 km), Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysore (approximately 435 km), Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar (459 km), and Varanasi-Howrah (approximately 760 km).
(With PTI inputs)