NEW DELHI: If all goes well, Gujarat will become the country’s first state to run the bullet train between Surat and Bilimora, covering nearly 63 km within Gujarat, in another four years. As a part of the government’s ambitious Ahmedabad-Mumbai High-Speed Rail Project, the railways has reported good progress on it, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a spot inspection. “I am confident of running India’s first bullet train in Gujarat in 2026,” he said.
Bilimora city is surrounded by three rivers – the Ambika, the Kavri and the Karera. The Somnath temple is located in Bilimora. According to the minister, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor will facilitate the bullet train that will travel at a speed of 320 kmph, covering 508 km with 12 stations only. The Japan International Cooperation Agency has also funded at `1.1 lakh crore, which is 80% of the total cost of this project.
“The pillars for the bullet train have been put up along 61 km of the route. Other works are underway along 150 km of the stretch at a good pace,” the minister said. The minister also inspected the operation of a segmental casting yard of the bullet train project near Vaktana village in Choryasi Taluka in Surat district.
When asked about the progress of the project on the Maharashtra side, the minister admitted the slow pace of work amid land acquisition issues. But efforts were on to ramp up the work with the support of the state government. “Maharashtra should work with the spirit of cooperation. This is a national project and there should not be any politics in it,” he said. Around 352-km section of the bullet train project falls under the Gujarat territory.