HYDERABAD: The Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad bullet train project, for which the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has recently floated tenders for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), is estimated to cut down the travel time between both the states by at least 9.5 hours once the project hits the tracks.
With the average speed of a bullet train being 320km per hour, the 711km distance between Hyderabad and Mumbai can be traveled in less than three-and-a-half hours, which now takes around 13 hours in the existing trains that run at an average speed of 80km per hour to 120km per hour.
“The existing tracks will not be able to withstand the speed of these bullet trains. So, they will have to lay new tracks. For this purpose, the railway board has already written to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and provided all the required details of seven high-speed rail corridors for running bullet trains,” said a senior SCR official.
“The blueprint for the high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad will be prepared once the tender is finalized,” he added.
After the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor, which is expected to be opened in 2028, the Centre is now planning to launch seven more such corridors, one of which is going to be Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad.
According to NHSRCL, the first pre-bid meeting for the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad bullet train corridor will be held on November 5. In this meeting, the concerned authorities will draw a plan for a survey, identification of overhead, overground, underground utilities and identification of power sourcing options for substations along the proposed Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad high-speed rail corridor.
“The bullet train project will benefit the country and give a boost to the skill development sector. The government has asked for DPRs of all the seven new corridors. Capital costs can be decided only after taking into consideration things like terrains and route length,” said Achal Khare, managing director, NHSRCL.
As per the NHSRCL notification, tenders for the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad corridor will open on November 18, after which the successful bidder will be finalised and the tender awarded.
