The much-anticipated Mumbai-Ahemdabad bullet train project is on the way of postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic that has caused delay in opening tenders and land acquisitions.
The project which was scheduled to be completed by December 2023 is now eyeing a delay of around five years, According to a report of The Indian Express, The Railways are now expecting the project to be commissioned by October 2028. The revised timeline has been calculated after holding talks with Japanese investors who are working on the project.
“We can maybe compress the timeline to some extent if all the outstanding issues are resolved quickly. But in such a complex technical project, the timeline cannot be compressed to a great extent,” The Indian Express quoted a senior official as saying.
The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) has said that the project has been greatly affected by the pandemic as it led to the delay in opening of s few tenders.
“Because of COVID we had to postpone the opening of a few of the tenders. It is difficult to assess the impact of the pandemic on the project as it is still continuing. We cannot say how the pandemic will affect the project as I don’t know how long it will last,” NHSRCL MD Achal Khare said.
The Railways, meanwhile, last month said that the high-speed rail corridor is expected to be completed on time despite the impact of the covid-19 impact.
“About 63% land has been acquired for the project and tenders for civil works for 345 kms out of 508 kms alignment ( 68% of civil works) is already floated. This includes six MAHSR stations (including one underground station in Mumbai). The works related to utility diversion are progressing well and the construction of Sabarmati passenger hub (a multi modal hub) in Sabarmati, Gujarat has also started,” NHSRCL had said last month, while emphasising that despite the delay, the project will be completed on time.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 1.08 lakh crore. The Centre has signed a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which has provided ₹15,000 crore for the project at an interest rate of 0.1 per cent.The Government of India is to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved – Maharasthra and Guajarat, will be paying Rs 5,000 crore each.
