| Work Detail |
The government has placed orders for three tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to facilitate the construction of a 21 km undersea tunnel for the Bullet Train project, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday. The update came as part of a report on the status of infrastructure projects in Maharashtra.
Vaishnaw confirmed that construction work on the high-speed Bullet Train project is progressing rapidly in the state, with 100% of the required land acquisition now complete. He also mentioned that construction activities related to bridges, aqueducts, and other infrastructure components have already begun. Additionally, all necessary preparatory works, including the construction of shafts for the TBMs, are underway.
In response to a question from Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut about the reduction in funding for new railway lines in Maharashtra, Vaishnaw assured that significant infrastructure works continue in the region. These projects, including network expansion, station redevelopment, the Bullet Train, and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), are collectively valued at over Rs 1.64 lakh crore.
Regarding the Western DFC, Vaishnaw highlighted that 178 route kilometers of the corridor pass through Maharashtra, representing approximately 12% of its total route length. He noted that 76 km of the corridor, between New Gholvad and New Vaitarna, has already been commissioned, and the connectivity between WDFC and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is expected to significantly enhance cargo and container traffic capacity, particularly for routes to Delhi NCR. |
