Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor is a high-speed rail line currently under

construction. When completed, it will connect the cities of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and India's
economic hub Mumbai. It will be India's first high-speed rail line.[1]

Construction of the corridor began in August 2018 with the acquisition of land for the
Sabarmati terminus, and the high speed train is scheduled for its first run on 15 August
2022.[2][3] The corridor will use Japan Railways Shinkansen E5 Series Electric multiple unit
for its rolling stock.[

History
Background

The Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor, along with 5 other high-speed rail corridors, was
introduced for a feasibility study in the 2009–2010 Rail Budget. A 650 km long high-speed
rail corridor was proposed to run from Pune railway station to Ahmedabad railway station via
Mumbai. The point at which this route would touch Mumbai was to be decided when the
feasibility report was prepared. The pre-feasibility study for the Ahmedabad–Mumbai–Pune
corridor was completed by a consortium of RITES, Italferr and Systra.[5] The top speed
expected for the corridor was up to 350 km/h.[6] The proposed stations included Lonavala on
Mumbai–Pune section and Surat, Bharuch and Vadodara on Mumbai–Ahmedabad section. It
was proposed to have 32 services between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Railway officials also
proposed extending the corridor up to Bangalore.[7]

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in New Delhi on 14 February 2013

between the Ministry of Railways and the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français
(SNCF), the French national railways, for technical cooperation in the field of railways. The
parties agreed to carry out jointly an "operations and development" feasibility project on the
Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. The project was funded by the SNCF with
support from the French Ministry of Finance.[8] In March 2013, the Railway Board decided to
drop the Mumbai-Pune section and operate the high-speed rail service only between Mumbai
and Ahmedabad. The Board took the decision due to financial constraints, as the ghat section
between Pune and Mumbai would escalate the budget for the project. According to V.A.
Malegaonkar, Chief Public Relations Officer (PRO), Western Railway, "It's basically a
Western Railway project and very little portion of Maharashtra was being covered under it.
Hence, the Maharashtra government was showing little interest in the project and was also
reluctant to bear a financial burden. That is the reason why the Railway Board has decided
against including the Pune-Mumbai portion in the high-speed corridor".[9]

India and Japan signed a MoU to undertake a joint feasibility study of the Mumbai-
Ahmedabad route in New Delhi in September 2013.[10] This was in pursuance of the Joint
Statement between the then-Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and the Prime Minister
of Japan Shinzō Abe on 29 May 2013, which provided that the two sides would co-finance a
joint feasibility study of the route. The objective of the joint study was to prepare a feasibility
report of the system with a speed of 300–350 km/h. The cost of the study (¥500 million)[11]
was borne equally by India and Japan. The study was scheduled to be completed within 18
months from its commencement, i.e. by July 2015. The study carried out traffic forecasting,
alignment surveys and undertook a comparative Study of high-speed railway technology and
systems.[8][12]
Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the SNCF carried out studies on the
project. JICA researched the technology, alignment and traffic-related aspects, while SNCF
worked on business projections.[8][13] The feasibility study included an alignment survey
concerning aspects such as land acquisition, environmental challenges and building of tunnels
and bridges. It also suggested a financial model based on fare and non-fare box revenue.[14]

Planning

JICA officials visited Mumbai in January 2014 to discuss the details of the project, and made
selective site visits to the proposed route. On 21 January, following several meetings between
JICA and Indian Railways officials, it was proposed to originate the corridor at the Bandra
Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai. The proposed route would begin from BKC, go right up
to Thane on the Central Line, and then take a diversion on the Trans-Harbour route which is
on the Thane-Diva-Vasai-Virar stretch. The corridor would then switch over to the Western
Line, before entering Gujarat and terminating at Ahmedabad.[15] 12 stations were proposed on
the route, of which 8 would have been in Gujarat. The intention behind taking the route via
Thane is to keep the option open to link the corridor to Pune. The team also proposed other
options for originating the line at either Bandra Terminus or Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, if the
BKC option was unfeasible.[14] Air-conditioned bullet trains are expected to operate in the
corridor at speeds of 320 km/h, enabling commuters to traverse the 534 km distance in 2
hours. Currently, the fastest train operating on this sector is the Ahmedabad Duronto Express,
which takes Six and Quarter hours to reach Mumbai Central from Ahmedabad running non-
stop between these two cities at a maximum speed of 130 km/h.[14]

The project held its first full-fledged meeting at the Railway Ministry in the first week of
April 2014, to bring about a broad consensus on the project, especially between the
governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The meeting was attended by representatives from
the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments, and the JICA, and Railway Board officials. At the
meeting, officials agreed to begin the line from BKC, and then take it to Thane and onward to
Virar. The Maharashtra government was in favour of connecting the line with Belapur as
well, in order to bring high-speed rail to Navi Mumbai. However, railway officials were
opposed to the Belapur detour. Officials also discussed the need to ensure that the terminal at
BKC would be connected to Line 3 of the Mumbai Metro, enabling commuters from South
Mumbai to reach BKC.

In May 2014, the project was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting with
the chairman of the High Speed Rail Corporation of India.[16] The feasibility study on the
project was carried out by RITES, Italferr and Systra in July 2015.[17] On 20 July 2015, a joint
Japanese-Indian survey team recommended a Shinkansen-style system for the Mumbai-
Ahmedabad line, including the adoption of Automatic train control and dedicated tracks.[18]
JICA's report recommended constructing 63.3% of the route an embankment slightly above
the ground, 28.3% on stilts, 5.8% underground and 2.2% on bridges. Minister of State for
Railways Rajen Gohain informed Parliament on 15 March 2017 that under a new plan the
entire corridor would be elevated except for the tracks that were proposed to be built
underground.[19]

An MoU was signed by the governments of India and Japan on 12 December 2015. The
Ministry of Railways, based on the recommendtion of the NITI Aayog, announced that
Shinkansen technology would be adopted for the line, with technology transfer to support the
Make in India programme. Japan would also provide staff training.[20] In January 2016, the
Ministry of Railways fast tracked the project and set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
named the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited to build and operate the corridor.
The company was registered in January 2016 in the name of Indian Railways. It was planned
for the company to eventually be made into a joint venture with equity participation of the
Maharashtra and Gujarat governments. The Public sector company is expected to build and
also carry out train operations.[21][22] The Ministry of Railways, the National High-Speed Rail
Corporation (NHSRC)[23] and JICA signed an tripartite consultancy agreement in December
2016 to implement the project. The NHSRC[23] is a new agency floated to implement the
project. A joint venture between Japan International Consultants for Transportation Co (JIC),
Nippon Koei Co, and Oriental Consultants Global Co. Ltd. was appointed as the general
consultants for the project,[24] and prepared design documents, bidding documents and
technical standards and specifications for the project.[19]

In late 2016, JICA awarded the detailed design study for the project to a consortium led by
Japan International Consultants for Transportation (JIC), Nippon Koei India Pvt. Ltd and
Oriental Consultants. The study formally began in March 2017. JIC will forecast demand, set
fares and devise a train operation plan, handle preliminary design work for structures such as
tunnels and bridges, and draw up an overall construction schedule. Japan International
Consultants for Transportation (JIC) Project Manager stated that "conditions surrounding the
construction of a high-speed railway in India - such as weather, which is harsh there, and the
quality and standards of materials - are considerably different from those in Japan. So we are
now comparing and adjusting to these technical matters." Japanese public and private sector
companies conducted training programs for railway staff in India. JIC stated that the local
expertise in India gained from constructing and operating various rapid transit systems could
be utilized for the high speed rail project. Japan also provided training to Indian Railway
Ministry officials, some of whom studied in government-sponsored programs at graduate
schools in Japan. India and Japan signed an agreement to establish an HSR Training Institute
in India by 2020 to train railway staff in high speed rail operations.[25]

The project received clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) in January
2019 to carry out construction in and around wildlife areas. The Board required the NHSRC
to create safe passages for animals to pass through before beginning construction, and to erect
noise barriers and fencing to prevent any disturbance to wildlife during construction.[26]

Construction
Most of the corridor will be elevated, except for a 21 km underground tunnel between Thane
and Virar, of which 7 km will be undersea.[27] The undersea tunnel was chosen to avoid
damaging the thick vegetation present in the area.[28] The corridor will begin at the
underground station in the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, and then traverse 21 km
underground before emerging above ground at Thane.[29]

Survey work on the route began in January 2017. According to NHSRC[23] director Mukul
Saran Mathur, "The geo-technical surveys have started along the entire route between
Mumbai and Ahmedabad and is expected to take two to three months. The activities that have
begun include geo-technical and geo-physical investigations into the 21-kilometre, under-
water tunnel of the project as well as the Final Location Survey to mark the alignment, right
down to the pillars on which the high speed trains will run."[30] RITES identified 750
locations along the entire route to carry out soil testing, including 62 locations for the
underground section. The agency completed soil testing at a total of 250 locations by 24
February.[31] Officials carried out testing of soil and rocks at a depth of 70 metres underwater
for the undersea tunnel stretch.[28]

Railway officials utilized a helicopter mounted with a 100 megapixel high-resolution digital
camera, a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner, a data recorder and other
equipment to carry out the survey. This aerial-survey method provides accurate data about
land contours, buildings and vegetation, and will permit the survey work to be completed
within 9–10 weeks as opposed to the 6–8 months required for a regular survey. The
helicopter completed its survey of the entire route within a flying time of 30 hours, and the
rest of the time is required for data processing.[27][32] The aerial survey was completed by
JICA and the Indian Railways by the end of February 2017.[33] Railway Ministry officials
stated in April 2017 that final location surveys had been completed, and that consultants to
carry out environmental and social impact studies would be appointed within a few
months.[34]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid the
foundation stone for the project in Ahmedabad on 14 September 2017.[35] All geo-technical
surveys and tests under the sea bed for the underground section were completed by December
2017. Civil construction of the corridor was expected to begin by June 2018,[36] and the
project was scheduled to be completed in 2023. The deadline was advanced to have the bullet
train go on its first run on 15 August 2022 on the occasion of India's 75th Independence day.
However, surveys and land acquisition for the project faced delays and disruptions due to
protests by farmers, land owners, and members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party,
which opposes the bullet train project.[37][38] The deadline to complete land acquisition was
postponed from December 2018 to June 2019 as a result of the protests.[39]

A total of 1,434.4 hectares of land will be required for the project. The Railway Ministry
stated that it had only been able to acquire 21.02 hectares or about 1.46% of the total land
required for the project as of 18 December 2018.[40] NHSRC officials stated on 16 January
2019 that they had received the consent for land acquisition from 61 out of the 104 villages in
Maharashtra that were located along the proposed route.[41] Officials in Gujarat stated that
land acquisition was expected to be completed only by the second half of 2019.[42]

Construction is expected to begin in Maharashtra only after the 2019 monsoon season.[43]

Cost
The project is estimated to cost ₹1.1 lakh crore (US$15 billion).[44] The cost includes interest
during construction and import duties.[45] JICA agreed to fund 81% of the total project cost
₹88,087 crore (US$12 billion), through a 50-year loan at an interest rate of 0.1% with a
moratorium on repayments up to 15 years[46] and the remaining cost will be borne by the state
governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat.[47][48] 20% of the components used on the corridor
will be supplied by Japan, and manufactured in India.[49]

Most of the line will be constructed on an elevated corridor to avoid land acquisitions and the
need to build underpasses. It will also enhance safety by eliminating the need for level
crossings.[50] The decision to construct an elevated line raised the cost for the project by an
additional ₹10,000 crore (US$1.4 billion).[51]
Infrastructure and operations
Trains are proposed to have length of between 10 and 16 coaches. Each train will have a
passenger capacity between 1,300 and 1,600 passengers. The system will be designed to
operate trains at a maximum speed of 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph), while operational
speed would be 320 kilometres per hour (200 mph). When traveling at 350 kilometres per
hour (220 mph) a train will be able to travel end-to-end on the 508 kilometres (316 mi) line in
2 hours and 8 minutes.[52] Currently, a train journey from Mumbai to Ahmedabad takes 7
hours.[53]

Indian Railways proposes to operate two types of services on the corridor. A "Rapid Train"
service with only two stops at Surat and Vadodara, and a slower service that halts at all
stations. The "Rapid Train" would complete the journey in 2 hours and 7 minutes, while the
slower service would take 2 hours and 58 minutes. In total, 35 daily services will be operated
on the line, with 3 services per hour during peak hours and 2 services per hour during off-
peak hours. The Railways estimates that the high speed rail corridor will have a daily
ridership of around 36,000 in 2023.[54]

On 9 January 2017 at Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the Gujarat Government and the National
High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRC) signed an MoU worth ₹67,000 crore
(US$9.3 billion) for component manufacturing for the high speed rail corridor.[55] The
Gujarat Government will bear 25% of the total project cost and provide land for the
project.[56]

Rolling stock

The corridor will use the E5 Series Shinkansen.[57]

Signaling and power

Signaling equipment and power systems for the corridor will be imported from Japan, per the
terms of the loan agreement with JICA.[58]

The NHSRCL estimated that the corridor would consume around 1,100 million units of
electricity annually once operational. Consumption was expected to rise in 2033, when
additional services are planned to be introduced. A total of 29 substations will supply
electricity to the corridor. The NHSRCL finalized the locations for the substations by January
2018, and approached power utility companies in Gujarat and Maharashtra to conduct joint
surveys which were completed by April 2018.[59]

Solar panels installed at the Sabarmati and Thane stations, at the High-Speed Rail Training
Institute in Vadodara, and at the Sabarmati HSR Complex will generate solar power.[59]

Operator

In February 2016, the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) was registered under
the Companies Act, 2013.[60] The NHSRC is a special purpose vehicle responsible for the
implementation of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail project. In October 2016, the
Indian Railways invited applications to fill key positions in the NHSRC. These positions
include managing director, director (project), director (electrical and systems) and director
(finance). The managing director is required to sign a bond guaranteeing to serve in the
position for a minimum of 5 years.[61]

Fares

Fares are proposed to be 1.5 times that of a First-Class AC ticket on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad
Duronto Express. As of January 2019, a First-Class AC ticket from Mumbai to Ahmedabad
costs ₹2,000,[62] which would make the cost of a high-speed rail ticket ₹3,000.

Trains will have business and standard sections with 2x2 and 2x3 seating configuration
respectively.[54]

Stations

Mumbai–Ahmedabad
high-speed rail corridor
‹ The template BS-table is being considered for merging. ›
Legend
Mumbai BKC Station
Thane
Thane Depot and Workshop
Towards Pune
21 Km undersea tunnel
Virar
Maintenance Depot
Boisar
Maharashtra - Gujarat border'
Vapi
Maintenance Depot
Valsad
Surat
Surat Depot
Bharuch
Maintenance Depot
Vadodara
Anand/Nadiad
 Ahmedabad Depot
Ahmedabad
Sabarmati Junction railway station

The line will have 12 stations.[63] Proposed stations are Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi,
Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand and Ahmedabad, Sabarmati.[64] High speed rail
stations will be constructed either above or next to existing railway stations to provide
transfer with the Indian Railways network. The Director of the Railway Bureau of Japan's
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism stated that "this makes
construction extremely difficult".[25][65]

Mumbai terminal

The Indian Railways proposed constructing the proposed terminus at BKC as a three-storey
underground station. However, the Maharashtra state government planned to construct the
International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at BKC on the same plot. JICA's report had
cited the BKC plot as the most suitable location to build the Mumbai terminus.[66] In February
2016, the Railways and the state government came to an agreement to construct both projects
at the BKC.[67] However, in April 2016, the state government refused to permit construction
of the underground station at BKC, citing the lack of availability of land in the area for an
underground station after the completion of the proposed IFSC and its multi-level
underground car park. The state government also stated that IFSC would begin generating
revenue for the government shortly, while the rail corridor was only expected to be
completed by 2023. It instead suggested relocating the proposed BKC terminus to either
Matunga or Kanjurmarg.[68] The issue was resolved in January 2017, when the Maharashtra
Government and the MMRDA agreed to provide 5.4 hectares of land in BKC to construct a
terminus.[69][70] Lines 2 and 3 of the Mumbai Metro will meet the HSR at BKC.[71]

Vadodara

Platform 6 of the Vadodara Junction railway station will be used as the platform for the bullet
train. The NHSRCL will revamp the existing station to accommodate high-speed rail
services. This will involve the removal of the reservation center, section engineering office,
water tank and railway police station located on the existing platform. The new station
building will have a height of 20-22 meters, and will be 40 meters in width. The design of the
station is inspired by the banyan tree. The project requires the dismantling of platform 7. The
largest girder on the high-speed rail corridor, measuring 220 metres in length, will be located
at Vadodara station. The construction of the girder will require the dismantling of platform 7
of Vadodara Junction station which is used by trains arriving from Delhi.[72] To cope with the
loss of the platform, the NHRSCL will build a new Chhayapuri railway station as a satellite
station.[73]

Ahmedabad Terminal

The Sabarmati station will serve as the high-speed rail terminal in Ahmedabad.[64] The
Gujarat Metro will connect the HSR at Ahmedabad Junction (Kalupur station).[74]
Future developments
In September 2015, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requested railway
authorities to incorporate Nashik into the corridor's alignment. Railway officials stated that
the proposal was not feasible as it would require the entire project to be re-planned, and
would greatly escalate costs due to the ghat section between Mumbai and Nashik.[75][76]

In January 2017, Mumbai Mirror reported that the high-speed rail corridor would be extended
to Pune and Nashik.[77]

Status updates
 Mar 2019: 30% land acquired. By Nov 2019 tenders will be finalized and also land
acquisition task is expected to be completed.[78]