Contract signed for construction of first High Speed Bullet Train Corridor in India

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) signed a contract agreement with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for the Design and Construction of 237 km length of the viaduct between Vapi (Zaroli Village at Maharashtra- Gujarat Border) and Vadodara in the state of Gujarat for 508 km of Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor.

The contract package (MAHSR-C-4) is the highest value tender first-ever awarded 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 contract also includes the construction of four stations namely Vapi, Billimora, Surat and Bharuch, Surat Depot, 14 river crossings, 42 road crossings and 6 railway crossings including One Mountain Tunnel of 350 metres.

The contract agreement was signed in New Delhi on 26th November 2020 by Achal Khare, Managing Director, NHSRCL and S.N. Subrahmanyam, CEO & MD, L&T Limited in the presence of Satoshi Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to India, V.K. Yadav, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Railway Board, Prof. Ashok Kumar Chawla, Advisor Japan, East Asia Division, Ministry of External Affairs, NHSRCL, Board of Directors of NHSRCL and other senior officers from NITI Aayog, Ministry of Railways, JICA, JICC and NHSRCL.

The technical bids for this tender were opened on 23rd September 2020 and in less than one month i.e on 19th October 2020, the financial bids were opened, after evaluation of technical bids. The letter of acceptance (LoA) with the contract value of Rs 24985.16 crore was issued to L&T Limited on 28th October 2020.

Now the contractor L&T Limited has to complete the works is four years from the date of commencement of the contract.

"During the construction phase of this section, the areas around the alignment will witness social and economic development. There will be employment generation not only for the professionals like engineers, technicians, designers, architects etc. but also for the skilled and semi-skilled workforce and construction workers. There will be a boost in the demand for construction material and machinery like cement, steel, heavy construction machinery, cranes, trailers, etc. The ancillary industries like hospitality, entertainment, health, tourism, real estate & housing and education will also flourish during the construction," said an official release.

The 508.18 km double line Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor will connect Mumbai in Maharashtra and Ahmedabad in Gujarat through 12 HSR station.

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