The contract for 237.1km civil construction for Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project has been signed

Contract signing ceremony for Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor

by Suman Gupta

Mumbai, November, 2020: National High Speed Railway Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Ltd have concluded the contract for Package C-4 of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Corridor. A contract signing ceremony was organized by NHSRCL on November 26, 2020, which was attended by Mr. Satoshi Suzuki, H.E. Ambassador of Japan and Mr. V.K Yadav, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board.

This is the major contract concluded under the MAHSR project.  The C-4 Package covers about 47% of total alignment of the MAHSR project (508 km), from Maharashtra- Gujarat Border to Vadodara in the state of Gujarat and scope of work includes construction of viaducts (237 Km) , stations (4 stations namely Vapi, Billimora, Surat and Bharuch),maintenance depots, Tunnel between Vapi and Vadodara as well as Surat Depot. The expected construction period will be 1460 days (approximately 4 years).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Katsuo Matsumoto, Chief Representative, JICA India said, ” As novel coronavirus diseases brought unprecedented challenges across the globe, Indian economy faces a variety of challenges in various sectors. Amidst such circumstances, one of the keys to tackle with the challenges is to continue our effort for realizing the potential for strong economic growth of the country. Both Maharashtra and Gujarat states have been the nation’s growth drivers, and the high-speed rail system in those is expected to further support such economic pulse as had the system done for Japan. JICA believes that MAHSR will contribute to regional wide economic and social development which brought about job creation and income generation to local residents in future.”

JICA has been supporting the project for the Mumbai – Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail by Providing ODA loans of INR 250,000 million JPY (approximately 18,000 crore INR) in total since 2017. The objective of the Project is to develop a high-frequency mass transportation system by constructing the High-Speed Rail between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, using Japan’s Shinkansen technology (also known as the “Bullet Train”), thereby enhancing mobility in India and contributing to regional economic development.

About JICA: Established, by a specific law, as an incorporated administrative institution under the Government of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation, as a sole Japanese governmental agency in charge of ODA implementation. JICA is the world’s largest bilateral donor agency. JICA works as a bridge between Japan and emerging countries, and provides assistance in forms of loan, grant and technical cooperation so that the emerging countries can strengthen their capabilities.

JICA India Office Web: https://www.jica.go.jp/india/english/index.html