New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday advocated for early completion of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project and affirmed that his government’s motive is to create infrastructure for the 21st century in the financial capital of the country.


He said that the ambitious project of the bullet train is the need of the hour to strengthen the infrastructure capacity building and reinforce Mumbai’s identity as the “city of dreams”.


The PM was speaking at the virtual inauguration of two additional railway lines connecting Thane and Diva in Mumbai. He also flagged two suburban trains.


During his address at the event, he said that the completion of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project should be prioritised.


The 508 km high-speed corridor is estimated to have a cost of Rs 1,10,000 crore. It is being built with Japanese assistance, however, it is facing some land acquisition problems. 


Making a remark on Mumbai’s contribution in development post-independence, the PM said, "The effort now is to upgrade Mumbai's capacity for creating an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Hence, our focus is on creating infrastructure development of the 21st century in Mumbai.”


Shedding a light on the suburban railway network, he said that the new lines which were inaugurated on Friday will add to the ‘ease of living’ for the Mumbaikars. He also said that most of the 36 trains on the central line, launched on Friday are air-conditioned. 


''The central government was committed to the modernization of the suburban railway network (called Mumbai's lifeline),'' the Prime Minister said.


The foundation stone for the 5th and 6th lines was laid in 2008 and the project was supposed to be completed in 2015, however, it took longer due to hurdles. 


Noting the hurdles, the PM said, “Our government is committed to making railways secure and modern. Infrastructure projects used to drag on earlier due to a lack of coordination in planning and execution but we have changed that approach.”


The PM concluded by saying that the commissioning of the 5th and 6th lines on the central line will eliminate the delays in mail and express trains going in and out of Mumbai and the additional tracks will also facilitate the smooth running of suburban services.