Hyderabad-Mumbai high speed rail project picks up momentum

The Hyderabad-Mumbai high-speed rail (HSR) corridor project has got momentum with the latest social and environmental impact surveys and public consultation meetings in the states concerned for the detailed project report (DPR) preparation. The 650-km corridor crosses through Vikarabad, Ranga Reddy, and Sangareddy districts in Telangana state, Kalburagi in Karnataka, and Thane in Maharashtra, Raigad, Pune, and Solapur districts. The railway ministry has chosen the Delhi-based National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) to prepare the DPR of seven HSR corridors involving the Hyderabad-Mumbai one. The NHSRCL on Monday held public consultation meetings with stakeholders at Thane in Maharashtra. NHSRCL is executing the country’s first HSR joining Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Vikarabad's additional collector Motilal directed revenue officials to support the NHSRCL team by providing requisite information like geographical areas detail, revenue maps, photographs, and population for the rail corridor project for Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) reports. For the survey of the land required for the project, drones will be used, which costs around Rs 1.08 crore as per the earlier estimates. NHSRCL official spokesperson Sushma Gaur from Delhi told the media that the DPR of the Hyderabad-Mumbai HSR project is being prepared now. The authority held meetings with stakeholders over SIA and EIA in Thane, and hopefully, DPR will be submitted early next year to the government. Sources said that the passenger's travel time in the high-speed train on the corridor would be decreased from 14-15 hours to 3-4 hours between Hyderabad and Mumbai if the project got operational. The project was proposed in 2019, and is expected to finish it by 2023. The project, however, was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The project is estimated to be completed by 2024-25. Image SourceAlso read: Preliminary talks begin for Mumbai-Hyderabad bullet train project Also read: NHSRCL to acquire land at Rs 167.60 cr for bullet train project