The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has officially invited bids from qualified Indian and Japanese companies to construct the tracks, designs, and supply the ambitious Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project. The announcement was made on Monday, inviting parties interested in contributing to the track construction work in Maharashtra. The high-speed train rail network will be 314 kilometers in the financial capital.
Maharashtra will have 314 kilometres of bullet train track
As per NHSRCL’s official statement, the bullet train’s route in Maharashtra will be 157 kilometers stretch and will spread from Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) station in Mumbai to Zaroli village situated at the Maharashtra-Gujarat border.
Details of the tender
The tender encloses details like the construction of the tracks, supply, design, and performing tests and then conducting commissioning of the double-line high-speed railways. Technical bids for the project are expected to open on 3 February 2025. This will be the final contract for the bullet train project, as per NHSRCL notification. Under the contract, the construction of four stations, a rolling stock depot in Thane along with the track work are also on the list. At present, track construction is currently going on in Gujarat as the previous contract was bagged by Indian firms.
Tie up with Japan’s advanced technology
India’s first high-speed rail project (MAHSR) will be equipped with a ballast-less track system, a technology that has been successfully utilized in Japan’s Shinkansen high-speed rail. The Japan International Consultants for Transportation (JICC) has provided detailed designs, and specifications details about the track components. All these project inputs are aligned with global standards.
Under the collaboration with the Japan Railway Technical Service (JARTS) and the Japanese body, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed. As per the deal, the Japanese body will be responsible for providing certification, training, and advisory services to support the construction of the high-speed rail corridor.
A loan will be provided at an interest rate of just 0.1 % for this project by the Japanese government. The overall cost is expected to be around Rs 1.08 lakh crore and the funding will be shared between Gujarat, Maharashtra, the Central government, and Japan.