Routes of 886 km Delhi-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train Corridor finalised

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) has recently finalised the alignments (routes) of proposed 886-km High Speed Rail Corridor between Delhi and Ahmedabad. A total of 15 high speed rail stations will be built on this corridor to connect Dwarka (Delhi) to Ahmedabad (Gujarat) via Haryana and Rajasthan. 

Last week, a consultation meeting was held in Gurgaon to finalise the routes of Delhi-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train Corridor by NHSRCL.

“We have chosen this alignment (along the rail line and highway) to ensure that land acquisition is minimal. In such mega projects, maximum time gets spent in acquiring privately owned land. While the alignment is final, acquiring land is yet to begin. Friday’s consultations with private landowners in Gurgaon and Rewari were fruitful and they all agreed to let their land be acquired for construction of the Bullet train, probably sensing the benefits this project would offer once it is ready,” said a NHSRCL official, TOI reported.

“We would need around three to four years to acquire the land, shift utilities, get necessary clearances and NOCs for various departments, permission to cut trees and several other such things before we can start construction work on ground. Once that work gets started, we would need about three years to complete the project,” the official added.

Apart from Dwarka and the two Haryana stops, of the 15 stations proposed on the corridor, nine are in Rajasthan and three in Gujarat. Officials said the corridor will be a fully elevated one. At present, it takes about 14 hours by train from Delhi to Ahmedabad. Once the project completed, people will able to complete the journey within four hours by Bullet Train.

According to official, the 15 Bullet Train stations have been proposed at Dwarka (Delhi), IMT Manesar (Gurgaon), Rewari, Behror, Shahpura, Jaipur, Ajmer, Vijaynagar, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Dungarpur (all Rajasthan) and Himmatnagar, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (Gujarat).

Talking about the Government's approval, official said that both the Delhi and Haryana governments have approved this project and a final nod is awaited from the Central Government. "The preliminary work like soil testing, road widening has started and we are awaiting approval from the ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,” said an official.

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