The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project has achieved 62.16% physical progress, marking a significant step forward for India’s first bullet train corridor. According to a September 21 RTI response from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), the entire land required for the 508-km project has also been acquired.
A total of 1,389.49 hectares has been secured for the corridor, including 959.04 hectares across Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 430.45 hectares in Maharashtra. Land acquisition in Maharashtra had earlier been among the major challenges affecting the project’s progress.
Construction has advanced substantially across the route. Foundation work is complete over 459.90 km, while piers have been constructed along 455.10 km. Around 380 km of girders have been cast, with 366 km of viaduct girders already erected.
Work on the Mumbai section continues, including stations planned at Thane, Virar and Boisar, along with the underground station at Bandra-Kurla Complex. While station construction in Maharashtra is still underway, foundation and structural work at stations in Gujarat has been completed, with finishing activities in progress.
One of the project’s most complex elements is the approximately 21-km tunnel between Mumbai and Thane, which includes a 7-km undersea stretch. Tunnel boring operations are underway, while 4.88 km of excavation using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method has already been completed. Breakthroughs have also been achieved at four of the eight mountain tunnels.
Track-related work has begun as well, with track slabs laid across 97 route kilometres as of August 27.
Meanwhile, India’s first domestically manufactured high-speed trainset for the corridor is under construction. BEML is developing two trainsets under an order from Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.
Despite the progress, NHSRCL has not yet finalised the overall completion date. The timeline will depend on awarding all contract packages and receiving the required trainsets.
Source: Trak
