Two ambitious rail projects - proposed elevated rail corridor in Mumbai and a bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai - got a boost on Wednesday as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh finalised the targets for key infrastructure projects in PPP model in railways.
At a meeting with ministers and secretaries of key infrastructure ministries, it was decided to flag off the elevated rail corridor project for Mumbai suburban service with a total investment of Rs 20,000 crore in 2012-13.
The elevated rail corridor is crucial for Mumbai as it aims to give a faster service to daily commuters in the metropolis.
However, Railway Minister Mukul Roy was not present in the meeting. Chairman Railway Board Vinay Mittal attended the high-level meeting chaired by the PM.
It was also decided to finalise the action plan for the 500-km high-speed corridor from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, said railway sources. The project is estimated to cost about Rs 60,000 crore.
Known as bullet train project, the train is expected to run at 350 km per hour speed reducing the travel time to four hours between the two cities from seven hours by Duronto, the fastest train at present.
Bengaluru-Chennai and other Tier 2 cities
Also, Deccan Chronicle had reported on June 2 that a high-speed rail linking Bengaluru to Chennai and other Tier 2 cities will soon become a reality.
The project has been conceptualised in three phases — between Mysore and Chennai via Bengaluru, between Bengaluru and Belgaum via Davanagere and Hubli, and between Bengaluru and Gulbarga.
“A Japanese company which has already discussed the project with the State government is expected to submit its technical report in December which will be forwarded to the Union railway ministry for approval.
The project will be taken up on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The first phase of the project will cost Rs 1 lakh crore at a per km cost of Rs 200 crore,” says large and medium scale industries minister Murugesh R. Nirani.
It will take 2 hours to Chennai
Japan’s famous 'bullet trains' make commuting much faster between cities, and Karnataka is poised to provide a similar experience in collaboration with the Japanese government.
Travelling between Bengaluru and Chennai in a bullet train at a speed of 300-320 kmph will cut travel time drastically.
When the project is completed, it will take just two hours to travel from Mysore to Chennai via Bengaluru. Currently, it takes seven hours by Shatabdi, considered to be the fastest train in the country.