Bullet train project: Land acquisition for bullet train project to be completed by March end
Representational pic
After facing serious land acquisition hurdles in Maharashtra since November 2019, the country’s first high-speed or bullet train project is fast getting back on track. The Indian government is working towards completing land acquisition for the ambitious ₹1 lakh crore, bullet train project by the end of March, according to officials.
The Chief Secretary of Maharashtra has directed district collectors in the state to expedite land handovers for the project. While land acquisition and possession have been completed in Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, more than 15% of the total land requirement is yet to be handed over to the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) in Maharashtra. In total, 959.04 hectares of land have been acquired in Gujarat, and 430.45 hectares fall in Maharashtra.
The project, inaugurated in September 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was initially expected to be completed by 2023. However, delays in land acquisition in Maharashtra and the nationwide lockdown in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed back the timeline. The first bullet train’s trial run is now planned on the 50-kilometer stretch between Surat and Bilimora in 2026.
The project has received necessary permissions for forest, wildlife, mangroves cutting, and tree cutting. Besides land acquisition, the shifting of power transmission lines is a priority, with Gujarat leading in completing the shifting of 1,333 infringing lines.
Japanese concerns
According to the project’s progress report, the Japanese side has, in October 2023, initiated price negotiations with a sole bidder for the electrical works. The deadlines for operationalizing various sections of the project include Surat-Bilimoria by July 2026 and Sagarmati-Vapi by August 2027.
The detailed design for signalling and telecom (S&T) has been completed by the Japanese side. It has decided to place early orders for long-lead S&T equipment such as automatic train control, electronic interlocking, track circuits, point machine accessories, cab radio, and so on for the 12 stations on the route.
For these early orders, five separate packages are planned and contracts would be awarded directly to OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], as per the Japanese practices.
