Bullet Train Project update: Indian Railways says 26.33 per cent work completed

The Railways Ministry on Tuesday shared an update on the progress of the Bullet Train Project in which it put the overall physical progress at 26.33 per cent.

Sharing the update as on February 28, 2023, the Railways Ministry said that while 36.93 per cent of the overall work had been completed in Gujarat, 13.72 per cent of the work had been completed in Maharashtra. 

Over 52 per cent of the civil work as part of the Bullet train project has been completed in Gujarat.

Giving further statistics, the Railways Ministry said that piling work had been completed on a 257.06 km stretch while pier work had been completed up to 155.48 km.

As part of the project, over 8000 trees were transplanted, and over 83,600 saplings were planted. 

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project is aimed at offering faster connectivity between the two financial hubs. When completed and running, the 508 km journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad could be completed within two hours. At present, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail is the country's only sanctioned High-Speed Rail project. The project is being executed with assistance from the Japanese government. 

During the foundation stone laying ceremony in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the high-speed corridor should be seen in the context of overall economic development. 

Considering the time it takes to reach the airport and then take a flight and eventually reach the destination in the city, the Prime Minister said that the bullet train would take half the time for people to reach their destinations, unhampered by any intervening and common obstacles such as traffic snarls, pollution and road rage. This would also spawn a lot of savings by the consumption of fossil fuels.