Maharashtra expedites bullet train project

The change of government in Maharashtra has given the much-needed fillip to the pace of construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The long-pending land acquisition and environmental clearances issues are being resolved on fast-track basis. Over 1.2 hectares of additional land in Palghar has already been acquired in the past 10 days. Consensus has also been achieved on resolving the issue of shifting a Bharat Petroleum Corp petrol pump located on a plot in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) as the site has been earmarked for the construction of a terminus of the high-speed train. It will have a three-story underground structure with six platforms on the lowest level and MMRDA will issue directives on this shortly.

It is estimated that land for 508 route km would be needed for the high-speed rail project that was launched in September 2017 at an estimated cost of ₹1.1 lakh crore and with the recent developments, 90.56% of the required land has been acquired for the entire project. This includes 98.8% in Gujarat, 100% in Dadar Nagar Haveli and 72.25% in Maharashtra. In all, 384 km of land is required in Gujarat, 155 km in Maharashtra and 5 km in Dadar Nagar Haveli.

The new Maharashtra government has assured that issues involving the transfer of land for the BKC underground station (4.84 Ha) and 3.92 hectares at Vikroli for a tunnel shaft would be resolved soon. For the bullet train project alignment passing through the forest area, stage-I clearance has been granted by the Maharashtra government and the stage-II approval is also expected shortly.