3 bidders submitted bids for Contract Package C-4 of Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR project

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on 23rd September 2020 opened technical bids of its first high-value contract package MAHSR-C-4 in New Delhi. A total of three bidders submitted their bids to construct a total of 237.1 high-speed rail line of 508.17 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor between Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Mumbai in Maharashtra.

As per information shared by NHSRCL, the following major infrastructure companies have submitted their bids to construct India's ambitious high-speed bullet train corridor:

• Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T)
• Tata Projects – J Kumar Infraprojects – NCC Limited JV
• Afcons Infrastructure – Ircon International – JMC Projects India Ltd. JV

The contract package (MAHSR-C-4) is the highest value tender first-ever floated by NHSRCL under which a total of 4 stations (out of 12) is to be constructed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor. The estimated value of this package is Rs 20,000 crore. The tender was invited on 15th March 2019 and the last dates were changed frequently due to delay in the sanction of loan by the Japanse financial body JICA and land acquisition issues.

The scope of work as per tender notice includes Design and Construction of Civil and Building Works including Testing and Commissioning on Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis for Double Line High-Speed Railway involving Viaducts, Bridges, Maintenance Depots, Tunnel, Stations (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat and Bharuch), and Surat Depot between Zaroli Village at Maharashtra-Gujarat Border and Vadodara from MAHSR Km. 156.600 to MAHSR km. 393.700, excluding works for 04 No. PSC Bridges and 07 No. Steel Truss Bridges, in the State of Gujarat.

"The MAHSR project alone will create more than 90,000 direct and indirect jobs during the construction of the project. Not just the employment market but production and manufacturing market are also expected to gain with the project. It is estimated that close to 75 lakh MT of cement, 21 lakh MT of steel, and 1.4 lakh MT of structural steel will be used in the construction and all of which shall be produced in India. In addition to this, large construction machinery is another market that will gain big time through the project," said the statement issued by NHSRCL.

The NHSRCL is facing major trouble in the acquisition of land in Maharashtra and some parts of the Gujarat state for this project. Due to delay in land acquisition, Railway is planning to extend its original deadline for five years i.e. from December 2023 to December 2028, sources said. However, Railway Board Chairman and CEO, Vinod Kumar Yadav is claiming that 82.17% acquisition was completed in Gujarat, 79.57% in Dadra Nagar Haveli and 23.21% in Maharashtra.

For more details about the project, please explore the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail page of Urban Transport News.