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NEW DELHI: Delay in acquiring land in Maharashtra and COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, but railways on Saturday he did not rule out the possibility of operating high-speed trains in the Gujarat side before 2024.
A large part of the project corridor – 349 km out of a total of 508 km – falls in Gujarat. The director general and chairman of the railway board, VK Yadav, said that while 82% of the required land was acquired in Gujarat, only 23% was acquired in Maharashtra.
“In the case of linear projects, it is better to award works when 90% of the land is available. We are in talks with the government of Maharashtra and hope for good progress in the next six months, ”he added.
Responding to a question from TOI about the possibility of putting the first bullet train into operation in the Gujarat part, Yadav said: “We are hopeful that the land acquisition in Gujarat will reach 95-100% in the next three months. It is desirable to open the entire hallway in one go. As the status of land acquisition becomes clear, we will make a decision and share it with you. ”
Sources said the government would be willing to hand over the project before the next general election. Prime Minister Narendra modi had laid the foundation stone for the high-speed rail or bullet train project in September 2017 and December 2023 was set as the deadline.
Yadav said that all designs related to the project have been approved; Bids were finalized and all statutory approvals were obtained. While he maintained that the project is progressing well, he said an assessment would take place in the next 3-6 months as conditions for Covid and land acquisition improve. “Then we will be in a position to establish the timeline,” he added.
The head of the railway board stated that there is great interest from the national and Japanese players.
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