The rail links will come up at an investment of over Rs 20,000 crore.
The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) has identified four “early bird” rail infrastructure projects, including a high-speed rail link between Delhi and Jaipur, at an investment of over Rs 20,000 crore. All these projects will be undertaken in the next six to 12 months through public-private partnership.
The key projects include a 300-km rail link between Delhi and Jaipur up to the proposed airport at Shivdaspur in Rajasthan at an estimated investment of Rs 10,000 crore; a 45-km Metro rail system between Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore; a 15-km Metro rail link connecting IGI Airport in New Delhi to Hero Honda Chowk in Haryana at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore; and a 25-km Metro rail system between Noida and Greater Noida at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore.
DMICDC was set up to oversee the construction of the industrial corridor between Delhi and Mumbai that would include industrial estates, townships, and transport and logistical hubs.
Besides these projects, the corporation is planning three regional rail links — Pune-Nashik in Maharashtra, Palwal-Rewari in Haryana and Palwal in Haryana to Khurja in Uttar Pradesh. However, these proposals are yet to be finalised.
The link between Delhi and Jaipur will have trains running at a minimum speed limit of 250 kilometres per hour, which means they will cover the distance in slightly over an hour. The link is aimed at decongesting Delhi and allowing other areas to grow with better connectivity.
“We have identified a few standalone and viable infrastructure projects to develop them as model initiatives for capitalising on the existing growth potential in these areas and mobilise global investments in the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor project,” said a senior government official.
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To implement these projects, DMICDC is in the process of signing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with six states — Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. All these states have already nominated their nodal agencies that would work with DMICDC and various other central and state government agencies to implement these projects.
The rail infrastructure projects are critical for the success of the industrial corridor since such corridors are generally built along major transport arteries like railways, highways, airports and ports.
A senior DMICDC official said: “We are in the process of appointing consultants who will prepare a detailed master plan for the project. The plan will identify the missing infrastructure links for the industrial corridor and suggest more such projects.”