New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Railways Darshana Jardosh on Thursday shared the first glimpse of the graphical representation of the bullet train station to be built in Surat, Gujarat.
The Surat bullet train station will be the first one built along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. The minister said the state-of-the-art station would have an external facade and the interiors would resemble a sparkling diamond.
"Sharing with you all, 1st glimpse of graphical representation of Surat's Bullet Train station. The state-of-the-art multi-level station will have an external facade and interiors of the station resemble a sparkling diamond - the pride of Surat city," Darshana Jardosh tweeted while sharing the images.
According to media reports, the Surat station is likely to be completed by December 2024. Last year, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that trial run of the first bullet train would happen on the 50-km stretch between Surat and Bilimora in 2026.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will be the country's first bullet train route. The responsibility of completing this project has been entrusted to National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
There will be a total of 12 stations on the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train route. These stations will be built in Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane, and Mumbai.
There is a plan to run the bullet train at a speed of 320 kmph on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. According to a report in Hindustan Times, three other stations being built in Gujarat - Vapi, Bilimora and Bharuch - will also be ready by December 2024.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will cost more than Rs 1 lakh crore. Out of this, Rs 88,000 crore will be funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Of the 508.17 km bullet train project, 155.76 km is in Maharashtra, 384.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.