PM Modi had pushed for the early completion of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail line; however, just a day prior to that, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) cancelled the tenders for the construction of tunnels between Bandra-Kurla Complex and Shilphata.
According to senior railway officials, the construction of the tunnels between the two Mumbai underground stations was cancelled due to ‘administrative reasons.’
The BKC is the starting point of this 508-km long high-speed rail line and the tunnels till Shilphata will be more than 21-km-long, thus forming a vital component of India’s first Bullet Train project connecting the two cities.
The cancellation of tenders for constructing the tunnels would mean that the deadline for this Rs 1.1 lakh crore rail corridor will be further pushed.
In November last year, the NHSRCL invited bids for 21-km underground tunnelling works for the project. The underground package C2 of the main-line connects BKC Station with Shilphata and consists of 3-km-long undersea twin tunnels below Thane Creek.
The land acquisition in Maharashtra for the Bullet Train project, including at BKC, has been a festering issue for months now. Incidentally, a Covid Care Centre was built on this land as well.
In 2019, the NHSRCL had first invited tenders that didn’t attract bidders; it again floated tenders in November 2021.
Land acquisition has been a big issue for this project, especially in Maharashtra. As of now, 62 per cent of the land has been acquired in the state; as against this, in Gujarat more than 98 per cent of the land has been acquired and all five civil packages have been awarded.
On Friday, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told that the rail ministry is doing everything to take forward the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. In his speech, PM Modi, while inaugurating 5th-6th rail lines on the Thane-Diva section, said that the ambitious project is a priority for them as it would strengthen infrastructure capacity building and reinforce Mumbai’s identity as “the city of dreams”.
Out of the total 508 km length of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project, 348 km lies in Gujarat, 4 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and the balance 156 km is in Maharashtra.