Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Will those who are eagerly waiting for a journey experience on India’s first bullet train, now have to wait longer? The ambitious project of Modi government, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train is not a priority for Shiv Sena, which would be heading the new government in the state of Maharashtra. Deepak Kesarkar, a minister in the previous BJP-Sena government, was quoted in a PTI report saying that if one has to spend an amount of Rs 3,500 (the estimated cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train ticket) for a journey from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, then there is also an option of a flight.
The former minister further stated that it was okay when Maharashtra and Gujarat were one state and Mumbai was the capital as connectivity is needed. However, Kesarkar said that he is not sure if that is needed in the present times. The Shiv Sena is not opposing anything, but the first priority of the party is farmers, he said.
The foundation stone for the country’s first ever Bullet Train project was laid jointly on 14 September 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. The ambitious high-speed rail project is being developed at a cost of Rs 1.08 lakh crore. The high-speed rail is expected to cover the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just a duration of three hours.
The Japanese firm- Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has agreed to fund 81 per cent of the total expenditure. While the remaining cost of the project is to be borne by the state governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The former BJP-led Maharashtra government had earlier committed to a capital expenditure of Rs 5,000 crore for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. The railway line of about 150 km is to be built in the state of Maharashtra. Currently, the land acquisition for the high speed rail project is underway, the report said.