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Bullet Train
China on Sunday unveiled an updated model of its high-speed bullet train which its manufacturer claims reached speeds of 450 kmph during the test runs, making it the world's fastest high-speed train. According to the China State Railway Group Co (China Railway), the new model, known as the CR450 prototype, will further shorten travel time and improve connectivity, making travel more convenient and efficient for the country's vast passengers. The CR450 prototype reached a test speed of 450 kmph, with key performance indicators operational speed, energy consumption, interior noise, and braking distance setting a new international benchmark, official media here reported. It is significantly faster than the CR400 Fuxing high-speed rail (HSR) currently in service, which operates at speeds of 350 kmph, a report by state-run Xinhua said. China Railway will arrange a series of line tests for the prototypes and optimise technical indicators to ensure the CR450 enters commercial service as
The orders for three tunnel boring machines to carry out about 21 km under sea tunneling for the Bullet Train project have been placed, the government informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday while updating the status of infrastructure projects in Maharashtra. Construction works on the flagship high speed bullet train project have gathered momentum in Maharashtra. Now 100% land acquisition has been completed. Works of bridges, aqueducts etc. have been taken up, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. Meanwhile, all preparatory works required for the working of TBMs (tunnel boring machines) such as construction of shafts etc. have also been taken up, he added. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut wanted to know whether the government has reduced funding for new railway lines in Maharashtra in recent years, the critical rail projects which have been delayed due to reduction in funding and the steps taken by the government to mitigate potential delays in railway projects to ensu
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday inspected a track slab manufacturing factory for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project near Surat in Gujarat. Vaishnaw said all the equipment at the factory in Kim was initially brought from Japan before their manufacturing was started in India, which will be beneficial for upcoming construction projects. "This factory at Kim is the largest in India and one of the largest track slab factories in the world. The workers have a very high skill level here. Those engaged in validation, test and check also have a very high skill level, and they have maintained very good standards," Vaishnaw told mediapersons after the visit. He said the experience in manufacturing equipment in India after initially bringing them from Japan will benefit future construction projects. The track slab manufacturing factory, set up near Surat to support India's first bullet train project, is designed to produce high-capacity ballast-less track slabs using ...
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Friday said the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will prove to be a corridor of economic prosperity, transforming towns and cities along the route and becoming a learning experience for future initiatives. Vaishnaw triggered a blast to build a shaft at Vikhroli to lower tunnel boring machines (TBM) for the construction of the 21-km underground tunnel, which is considered to be a technological marvel of India's first bullet train project. "Trains will zip through the tunnel at a maximum speed of up to 320 km. Constructing it without disturbing the tall buildings in the area is a challenge," the railway minister said. The shaft at the Vikhroli site of the National High Speed Rail Corridor is one among the four to be built for the entire 21-km-long underground stretch of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project. The shaft-2 will be used to launch two TBMs -- one towards the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) station's east end and the other towards Sawl
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The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited building the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor said on Thursday that 100 kilometres of viaducts and 230 kilometres of pier work had been completed for the ambitious project. The milestone of construction of 100 km of viaducts has been achieved through launching of 40-metre long 'full span box girders' and 'segmental girders', the NHSRCL said. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw uploaded a video on X, formerly Twitter, to inform about the feat. According to NHSRCL, the viaducts include bridges over six Gujarat rivers, namely Par and Auranga in Valsad district, as well as Purna, Mindhola, Ambika and Venganiya in Navsari district. "The first girder of the project was launched on November 25, 2021, while the first kilometer of viaduct was ready in six months on June 30, 2022. It achieved construction of 50 kilometres of viaduct on April 22, 2023 and, thereafter, in six months 100 kilometers of viaduct were completed," the NHSRCL ...
The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to decide within a month an application filed by Godrej & Boyce company seeking enhancement of compensation awarded to it for acquisition of its land in suburban Vikhroli for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. A division bench of Justices B P Colabawala and M M Sathaye was hearing a petition filed by the company seeking a direction to the Mumbai suburban district collector and the deputy collector (land acquisition) to make a reference to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Authority on the company's application seeking enhancement of compensation. The bench directed the state government authorities concerned to decide on the company's application within 30 days. The company and the government have been embroiled in a legal dispute over acquisition of the company-owned land in Vikhroli area of Mumbai for the bullet train project since 2019. Godrej's contention was that initially ...
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) on Thursday said it has awarded contract for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project's 'last civil package' of a 135-kilometre section. The Bullet train corridor is divided into 28 contract packages, of which 11 are 'civil packages'. The works in the 135 km section between Shilphata in Thane district and Zaroli village on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border included seven tunnels and the longest bridge of 2 km over the Vaitarna river in Maharashtra besides the construction of Thane, Virar and Boisar stations, the corporation said in a statement. NHSRCL has already awarded contracts for the construction of Mumbai (BKC) station and 21 km of tunnels including a 7 km undersea tunnel works in Maharashtra. With this last tender, all civil contracts for the Mumbai -Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor have been awarded, the release said. "This also marks the award of all the 11 civil packages of 508 km long MAHSR corridor, comprising 465
Union Housing and Urban Affairs and Railways ministries have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for building four stations along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (Project-SMART) corridor, a statement said on Monday. The four stations will be Sabarmati, Surat, Virar and Thane, said the statement issued by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). According to the ministry, Project-SMART envisages developing surrounding areas of the stations to enhance accessibility and convenience of commuters and other stakeholders, and to promote economic activities in their vicinities. The project would facilitate and enhance the institutional capacity of state governments, municipal corporations and urban development authorities to plan, develop and manage surrounding areas of the stations, the ministry said. The ministry, governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, and JICA are organising a series of seminars and field visi
Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC) in a joint venture with Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) has bagged a Rs 3,681 crore project for construction of a bullet train station, a statement said on Tuesday. The contract was awarded by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) for the construction of the Bandra Kurla Complex Station of the 508.17 km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail. The Bandra Kurla Complex bullet train station will have six platforms, and each platform is approximately 414 metres, sufficient to accommodate a 16-coach bullet train. The station will have connectivity with the metro and road transport, HCC said in a statement. This station is the only underground station on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor, and it is planned at a depth of about 24 metres below the ground level. The station will have a total of three floors. On Tuesday, shares of the company settled 4.33 per higher at Rs 14.95 apiece on the BSE.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is a "dream project of this country and of national importance and in public interest", the Bombay High Court said on Thursday dismissing a petition filed by Godrej & Boyce company challenging acquisition proceedings initiated by the Maharashtra government and the NHSRCL in Mumbai's Vikhroli area for the project. A division bench of Justices R D Dhanuka and M M Sathaye said the project was one-of-its-kind and collective interest would prevail over private interest. The court said in cases of conflict on inter fundamental rights and intra fundamental rights, the court has to examine as to where lies the larger public interest while balancing the two conflicting rights. "It is the paramount collective interest which would ultimately prevail. In the facts of this case, the private interest claimed by the petitioner does not prevail over the public interest which would subserve infrastructural project of public importance which is a dream project of ..
The Bombay High Court on Friday permitted the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) to cut around 20,000 mangrove trees in the city and neighbouring districts of Palghar and Thane for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Abhay Ahuja allowed the plea filed by the NHSRCL seeking permission to cut the mangrove trees. As per a 2018 order of the high court, there exists a "total freeze" on the destruction of mangroves across the state and permission has to be sought from the high court each time an authority wishes to fell mangroves for any public project. As per the said order, a 50 m buffer zone must be created around the area that hosts the mangroves and no construction activity or dumping of debris can be permitted within this buffer zone. In its petition filed in 2020, the NHSRCL had assured the court it would plant five times the total mangrove trees that were earlier proposed to be felled and the number wo
ArcelorMittal's arm AMNS India is eyeing to supply high strength special steel for the proposed bullet train project in India. AMNS India Chairman Aditya Mittal on Friday announced a Rs 60,000-crore expansion plan for his company's plant based in Hazira, Gujarat. As per the plan, the capacity of the plant will be scaled up to 15 million tonnes (MT) from 9 MT at present, he said. The company has been working hard on the expansion plan to ensure it captures the potential that is here in India. The expansion is in line with government initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat, Mittal said. He was addressing a gathering after performing the 'Bhoomi Pujan' to mark the beginning of the expansion project here. As the company grows, the plan is to expand specialty steel portfolio and focus on segments such as automotive, transportation and renewables, the chairman said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan's erstwhile prime minister Shinzo Abe had laid the foundation stone for the bullet tra