Bullet train project: Bids invited for construction of underground station in Mumbai's BKC

The National High-Speed Railway Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Friday invited bids for the construction of an underground station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, an official said.

The NHSRCL is the implementing agency for the bullet train project, under which the train will be run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai on a high-speed rail corridor at a speed of 320 kmph, covering a distance of 508 km and 12 stations. The train is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities to about three hours from the current six hours.

"Bids invited for design and construction of Mumbai underground station and tunnels for #BulletTrain," railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav said in a tweet.

An NHSRCL official said that bids have been invited for the construction of an underground station along with "one cut and cover tunnel" at the BKC.

The total cost of the project is Rs 1.08 lakh crore and as per the shareholding pattern, the central government is to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved - Gujarat and Maharashtra - are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each. The rest is to be paid by Japan through a loan at 0.1 per cent interest.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Wednesday assured Consul General of Japan in Mumbai Fukahori Yasukata of fast-tracking infrastructure projects like bullet train, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). PTI KK NP NP