Passengers will get the thrill of riding under the sea while travelling between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in India’s first bullet train.
The 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor will have a 21 km long tunnel under the sea, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the public transporter’s ambitious bullet train project.
While most part of the corridor is proposed to be on the elevated track, there will be a stretch after the Thane creek towards Virar which will go under the sea as per the detailed project report by JICA.
Estimated to cost about Rs 97,636 crore, 81 per cent of the funding for the project will come by way of a loan from Japan. The project cost includes possible cost escalation, interest during construction and import duties.
It is a soft loan for 50 years at 0.1 per cent annual interest with 15 years’ moratorium, said the official.
Rolling stock and other equipment like signalling and power system will be imported from Japan as per the loan agreement.
The official said the loan agreement with Japan is slated to be signed by the end of the year and construction work is likely to begin by the end of 2018.
The bullet train is expected to cover 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in about two hours, running at a maximum speed of 350 kmph and operating speed of 320 kmph.
At present, Duronto Express takes about seven hours to cover the distance between the two financial centres.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)