Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train to launch by 2028, says Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis; blasts Uddhav’s govt for delays

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Monday, April 28, that the much-awaited Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will become operational by 2028.

“By 2028, we will be able to travel on the bullet train,” Fadnavis said, conceding that the neighbouring state Gujarat is ahead of Maharashtra in the project development.

Last week, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said approximately 75 per cent of the excavation work for the $15 billion Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train station at Bandra Kurla Complex in the metropolis has been completed.

About 14 lakh cubic meters of earthwork have been excavated out of the 18,722,63 cubic meters required for the underground bullet train station.

The 508-kilometre corridor will have 12 stations. While the one in Mumbai is underground, those at Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati are elevated.

In an apparent attack on Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, Fadnavis said the bullet train project suffered during the two-year rule until 2022, but now the work is on in full swing.

Infrastructure Development

Speaking at an event on the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) project organised by VRF in Mumbai, Fadnavis said Maharashtra is looking to raise $50 billion from international financiers for infrastructure development in the state, and announcements for the same will be made in four months.

He also said the Vadhavan port will be operational in the next 3-4 years, adding that the port will help reduce the cost of logistics. He pointed out that the turnaround time at JNPA, India's largest container port located nearby, is higher.

It will also have an adjoining airport built through land reclamation on the sea.

The chief minister further said Maharashtra is building a highway from Nashik to Vadhavan port, which will ensure that 17 districts of the state are connected to the modern port.

He also said Maharashtra is building the Shaktipeeth highway to connect Nagpur with Goa.