MUMBAI(Metro Rail News): National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. has floated a tender for the 135km stretch Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project, which will include a viaduct, mountain tunnels and three stations. Consequently, bids have been requested for the full 508-kilometre stretch.
The corridor is 156 kilometres long overall in Maharashtra. Tenders have already been floated for the 348 km stretch in Gujarat and the 4 km in the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and work is under construction. On the Maharashtra–Gujarat border, along the 135 km line outside of Mumbai, three stations, Thane, Virar, and Boisar, will be constructed between Shilphata and Zaroli.
The building of 36 bridges, 11 of which are on rivers and six mountain tunnels, are among the 135 km corridor’s tenders. The deadline for bid submission is March 14, 2023, and the winning bidders will be announced the next day.
The bids were invited for the building of the BKC subterranean station on July 22, 2022. On November 4, the technical bids were opened and are currently being reviewed. The four bidders are MEIL-HCC Joint Venture, Afcons Infrastructure Ltd., Larsen & Toubro, and J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd. Financial bids will be opened for qualified bidders when the technical review is over.
On September 23, 2022, proposals for constructing a 21 km underground tunnel, including a 7 km undersea tunnel between BKC station and Shilphata, were invited. Construction is expected to begin on January 20, 2025. Seven kilometres of the tunnel will be below Thane Creek out of 21 km length. As a result, 6% of the 508km bullet train corridor will be through tunnels, compared to 92% of it being elevated.
The NHSRCL, which is carrying out the project, was to have control of 90% of the site before civil work contracts could be given, according to a decision made by the Railway Board. Even though it only owns roughly 74% of the property, the NHSRCL floated the tenders after nearly 96% of the land had been purchased.
