Tripartite MoU signed for station area development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Ministry of Railways (MoR jointly signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for ‘Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor’ under Project-SMART today in New Delhi.

The Project-SMART envisages to develop surrounding areas of Mumbai - Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Stations to enhance accessibility and convenience of commuters & other stakeholders and to promote economic activities in the vicinity of station areas. The project would facilitate and enhance institutional capacity of State Governments, Municipal Corporations and Urban Development Authorities to plan, develop and manage surrounding areas of MAHSR stations. 

The MoU was signed for four High Speed Rail Stations - Sabarmati, Surat in Gujarat and Virar and Thane in Maharashtra; out of 12 stations in-route. Surat, Virar and Thane are Green field while Sabarmati is a Brown field development.

MoHUA, Govt. of Gujarat, Govt. of Maharashtra and JICA are organizing a series of Seminars and field visits for the Project–SMART in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The first seminar of the Series has been organized at Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi today; wherein officers from Japan Embassy, JICA HQ, JICA India Office, JICA experts’ team, Ministry of Railway, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited, MoHUA, TCPO deliberated.

The deliberations of the Seminars would contribute in preparation of ‘Station Area Development Plans’ for Sabarmati, Surat, Virar and Thane HSR Stations and model handbook, containing experiences and methodologies adopted in Japan, India and other countries for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Station Area Development.