India's bullet train project is progressing very well and the first corridor of Mumbai to Ahmedabad will integrate economies, India's Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that NDTV Indian of the Year awards today.
"The bullet train project has to be seen from the perspective of integrating economies. In the first corridor that Indian railways is doing, Mumbai, Thane, Vapi, Baroda, Surat, Anand and Ahmedabad - all these economies will become one single economy. So you can have breakfast in Surat, go and complete your work in Mumbai, and come back with your family in the night," Ashwini Vaishaw said.
"Most of the places where bullet train projects have gone, they have taken 90% of the transportation share," Mr Vaishnaw asked if bullet trains would be cheaper than air fares.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor has been making steady progress since work began in November 2021. The first kilometre of the viaduct was built in six months and the 50th by April 2023.
In addition, bridges have already been built over 8 rivers as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, Mr Vaishnaw said today.
The projected cost is an estimated Rs 1.08 lakh crore, of which the Centre is committed to providing Rs 10,000 crore, while Gujarat and Maharashtra will contribute Rs 5,000 crore each. The remaining funding will be secured through a loan from Japan - at a minimal 0.1 per cent interest rate.
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