Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train May Become A Two Phase Project Due To Land Acquisition Delays In Mumbai

India’s first bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad could operate in two phases due to land acquisition issues in Mumbai, DNA reports.

Hence, the first phase of the bullet train service could reportedly operate across a 325 km track connecting Ahmedabad and Vapi in Valsad district of Gujarat. Thereafter, the second phase will join Vapi to Bandra and interlink the whole line.

Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav has revealed that almost 80 per cent of the land acquisition process has been completed in Gujarat. However, the implementation of the project has been hampered and postponed due to delays in Mumbai.

Yadav revealed that the Board has been in regular touch with the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra and they have been apprised that around 80 per cent of the land required for the initiative in the city will be obtained in the next three-four months.

However, the Ministry of Railways has clarified that the bullet train service can be run in two phases given that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government fails to cooperate properly. Contracts amounting to Rs 32000 crore for 325 km of the proposed route of the bullet train have been awarded in Gujarat. The 508 km long service is staring at a deadline of 2024 for its completion.