‘Need for high-speed trains to link Mumbai with other cities’

The second 18-month study by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will cover alignment, stations, cost of the project, funding options. It is expected to be completed by June 2015.

Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar

Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar, who inspected suburban railway stations and new platforms with height of 920 mm on Monday, stressed the need of high-speed trains to link Mumbai to other cities.

“We all know the suburban system is saturated. One needs to plan for future. Once all local trains are 12-car rakes, and a few 15-car rakes, on Western and Central Railway, one will have to go for a Metro kind of model, which is very expensive. One of the other answers is high-speed trains,” Kumar said.

Later, he also met met state’s Chief Secretary J S Saharia to discuss rail projects in Mumbai, including the proposed Oval Maidan Virar Elevated Corridor.

Story continues below this ad

“The 15-car rakes cannot be further extended to 18. Also, why should one stay in Mumbai? One can stay, say in Surat, and come to Mumbai in 40 minutes and go back. A season pass for a high-speed train will still cost far less than the house rent one will have to pay to stay in Mumbai. With high-speed trains, one will be able to travel from Navi Mumbai to the south end of Mumbai in six minutes, saving both time and money. High-speed trains are the need of the country. Progressing countries like Taiwan, Monaco and Algeria are going for such trains. The only issue is the money to fund the project. We are looking at some kind of a financial models and investments options like foreign direct investments,” Kumar said.

He said two studies are under way for the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed corridor.

“The study by French-owned state railway company SNCF is looking at the traffic on the route and the project cost. We have given them a high-volume-low-fare model for the study,” said the chairman.

The second 18-month study by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will cover alignment, stations, cost of the project, funding options. It is expected to be completed by June 2015.

Story continues below this ad

On the time-frame for the first high-speed corridor, Kumar said, “World-wide, the first time such a project is executed, it takes 12-plus years because it is a different concept. A speed of 300 kmph means redesigning existing lines. It also depends on how soon one gets the land. Besides, there are issues of designing stations, which will be on the lines of Metro stations with restricted entry for passengers.”

According to Kumar, the project is estimated to be Rs 100 crore per kilometre. “For a 524-km long corridor, its will cost Rs 60,000 crore over a period of 10 years. On an average, it will be Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 crore per year,” he said.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram