For over a year now, the government of Maharashtra and the Union ministry of railways had been conveying their plans and objections to the bullet train terminal at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) either via the media or in letters. On Thursday, both the parties agreed to come together and discuss the issue to reach a consensus.
During the meeting held between minister of railways Suresh Prabhu and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, several issues pertaining to railway projects in Maharashtra were discussed. Among them was Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.
A source privy to the happenings of the meeting shared that there was a brief discussion about the Rs98,000-crore project during which both the sides have agreed to have discussions through their respective representatives on where to locate the bullet train terminal in Mumbai.
While the railways want the terminal to be at the business district of Bandra Kurla Complex, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) wants it to be shifted either to Bandra or Kurla. The MMRDA has plans to erect an iconic building of International Finance Service Centre (IFSC) on the very same plot of land which the railways wants for the terminal. In the past, the state and Union government officials have been involved in exchanging letters, but it was only on Thursday they agreed to arrive at an amicable solution for the bullet train terminal.
The high-speed train is expected to cover the 508km distance in just three hours with stoppages at Thane, Virar, Surat, Bharuch and Vadodara along the route.
At the moment, process is on to form a joint venture company — National High Speed Corporation Limited — between the ministry of railways, government of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The plan is to get 81 per cent of the financing for the project from Japan.
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