With 95 per cent land acquired in Gujarat and Rs 32,500 crore worth of tenders already awarded for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) is discussing with its Japanese partner the possibility of operating the high-speed trains in Gujarat in the first phase and later extending it to Maharashtra.
“Running the bullet train in Gujarat is one of the options which we are discussing with our Japanese colleagues… In the next 3-4 months, if we get 70-80 per cent land in Maharashtra then we can open the project at one go. If we do not get the required land in Maharashtra, then we will have to think about opening the Gujarat part of the project in the first phase and the part in Maharashtra in the second phase,” said Achal Khare, managing director of NHSRCL, during a virtual interaction with media persons Thursday.
“2023 was the initial target. Last one year is practically lost because of Covid. There have been certain issues of land acquisition in Maharashtra,” Khare said.
Khare said acquisition of the remaining land in Gujarat is stuck due to conflicts within families owning the land or because the landowners live overseas.