New Maharashtra govt assures Japan envoy of fast-tracking bullet train project

• PTI
• 21 July, 2022

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By: PTI

MAHARASHTRA deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured Fukahori Yasukata, the consul general of Japan in state capital Mumbai, of fast-tracking infrastructure projects like bullet train, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Fadnavis, a former chief minister of the state but now is serving as deputy to chief minister Eknath Shinde, gave the assurance on Wednesday (20) during a meeting with Yasukata and other Japanese officials.

It was a honour and privilege to welcome Hon. Consul General of Japan Dr. Fukahori Yasukata & Hon. Deputy of Mission Mr. Kaneko Toshihiro and other senior Japanese officials in Mumbai, this morning.@JapaninIndia pic.twitter.com/UBHCrEzaBM

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 20, 2022

The bullet train project is aimed at running the train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in Gujarat on a high-speed rail corridor at a speed of 320 kmph, covering a distance of 508 km and 12 stations.

The train is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities to about three hours from the current six hours.

Indian railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in June that they are confident of achieving the target of running the country’s first bullet train between Surat and Bilimora (in Navsari district) in Gujarat in 2026 as good progress has been made in this direction.

Apart from the high-speed rail project (bullet train), which will connect Mumbai and Gujarat’s commercial hub of Ahmedabad, the JICA funding is also coming for the Mumbai Metro-3 line and the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) projects.

The MTHL, once completed, will be the longest sea bridge in the country with a length of 21.8 kilometres.

Besides Yasukata, deputy of the Mission Kaneko Toshilhiro and other senior Japanese officials were also present at the meeting.

Fadnavis, in a social media post, said, “We discussed JICA-funded projects like Bullet Train, MTHL and Metro-3 line. I assured them that this government is committed to fast-tracking all these projects and ensuring timely completion.”