Mumbai: Almost 80 per cent of the survey for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train has been completed and the remaining tenders are expected to be out by March next year, said railway sources. The survey for land in areas of Vasai and Palghar is currently being conducted. Railway minister Piyush Goyal had on Monday said that the deadline for the bullet train corridors has now been moved forward by a year to 2022.
Railway officials have said that the land acquisition in the area had been an issue but has since been resolved between the state government and the railway ministry. They have been working overtime to ensure that a sizeable chunk of the work is completed before the stone-laying ceremony takes place on September 14 at Gandhinagar.
“Until now, there were a lot of issues in land acquisition in Vasai, Virar and Palghar because of severe local opposition. But political parties both at the state and the centre ensured that these issues were resolved before the announcement was made on Monday,” said an official. The official added, “Only one tender has been removed for the related works but the entire package of tenders will be released by March of next year and not late next year, which was the previous deadline.” After the survey of the land, a detailed Project Report (DPR) will be made by the railways, on the basis of which the tenders will be released said officials. The survey includes the identification of the exact land needed, its physical measurement and a decision on the alignment of the tracks, whether they will be laid underground or not.
