Gujarat gets ₹11,300-cr high-speed rail corridor

The Gujarat government has approved a semi high speed rail (HSR) project between Ahmedabad and Rajkot. The ₹11, 300 crore project is aimed at linking the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed rail corridor connecting the twin states. The state government proposes to build an elevated corridor on the existing national highway 47 between Ahmedabad and Rajkot, thus minimizing the contentious land acquisition issue. Trains will achieve speeds in excess of 160 km per hour on the route and the travelling time between the two cities will be reduced to just over two hours. CEO, Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB), Ashwani Kumar, said that the project will enhance connectivity between Saurashtra and other states. The Ahmedabad–Rajkot semi HSR will also act as a feeder to the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed rail. Rajkot is one of the fastest growing cities in Gujarat and acts as a gateway to the Saurashtra region as it is well connected to major urban centres like Junagadh, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Dwarka and Somnath.