Year 2020: Here Are All Key Developments of India's First Bullet Train Project This Year

Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor -  the country's first bullet trains project witnessed several significant developments that provided a huge impetus to the pace of the project. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), responsible for the implementation and development of the bullet train project invited tenders, conducted surveys, opened financial bids, and awarded major civil contracts for the high-speed rail corridor this year. Once operational, the 508-km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor will operate at speed of 320 km per hour, passing through Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The entire distance is expected to be covered in two-three hours and will cover 12 stations en route. (Also Read: Bullet Train Project: Agreement Signed With L&T For India's Biggest Infrastructure Contract )

Here's all you need to know about the key developments that shaped the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project this year.

Key Developments of India's First Bullet Train Project In Year 2020:

• Infrastructure conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) bagged a contract worth over ₹ 7,000 crore from NHSRCL to construct 87.569 kilometres of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed bullet train corridor. L&T emerged as the lowest bidder in the auction of the project, which comprises the 87.569 km stretch of the viaduct - a type of bridge - between Vadodara and Ahmedabad, and the Anand/Nadiad station. This is the C6 package fo the high-speed rail corridor, for which NHSRCL awarded the letter of agreement (LoA) To L&T. 
   
• Out of all the bullet train stations, the Sabarmati Terminal station in Ahmedabad, Gujarat will be the only one to have a multimodal transit hub with connectivity to bus transit points, Indian Railways, and the metro station as well. This will be done because the Sabarmati station has been selected to be redeveloped on the basis of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC). 
   
• NHSRCL signed a contract agreement with L&T for the design and construction of the 237 km long viaduct between Vapi (Zaroli village at Maharashtra-Gujarat border) and Vadodara (Gujarat). This agreement for the execution of the high-speed rail corridor is said to be the country's biggest infrastructure contract for construction and design. The contract involves a significant 47 per cent of the high speed rail alignment, which includes the construction of four stations and a depot.
  
  As part of the contract, the work involves six railway crossings including one mountain tunnel of 350 metres, 14 river crossings, 42 road crossings as well as the construction of four stations - Billimora, Vapi, Bharuch, as well as Surat.
   
• NHSRCL signed a second contract agreement with L&T for the design and construction of the 88 km long (approximately) viaducts between Vadodara and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, including the construction of an elevated station at Anand/Nadiad, maintenance depot, and bridges for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor on December 16. With this, the NHSRCL has awarded civil contracts for the construction of 92 per cent of high-speed rail corridor alignment in Gujarat, which is 325 km out of 352 km in the state.
   
• L&T emerged as the lowest bidder for the recent order of steel bridges for the bullet train project. NHSRCL had opened the financial bids for the procurement and fabrication of 28 steel bridges for crossing over railway lines, rivers, roads, highways, and other structures for the high-speed rail corridor on December 18. According to NHSRCL, an estimated 70,000 MT of steel will be needed for the fabrication of the steel bridges.