Meeting for Station Area development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project held at MMRDA

File Photo/PTI

A kickoff meeting for Station Area development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project was held at MMRDA office on Tuesday. Senior officials from MoHUA, TCPO, MOR, MRVC, NHSRCL, Government of Maharashtra, MMRDA, TMC, VVMC, Japan Embassy, JICA HQ, JICA India Office and team JICA experts were present at the meeting. The meeting was part of series of seminars and Field Visits for the Project-SMART to be held in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

SVR Srinivas, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA while delivering the key note address said that MMRDA is honored to have the starting point of the first ever Bullet Train of India, at Bandra Kurla Complex. The stations area development around the HSR Stations will ease the transit between the residential and office areas, he said, "It will minimize the dependency on road transport with a focus on last mile connectivity. There are technical and institutional parts to carry out this Project. MMRDA is keen to be part of this multilayer institution mechanism to make this project Successful."

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Ministry of Railways jointly signed a MoU with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for ‘Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail' (Project-SMART). The MoU was inked for four High Speed Rail Stations- Sabarmati, Surat in Gujarat and Virar and Thane in Maharashtra. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project is being implemented by the NHSRCL for an estimated cost of Rs. 1.08 Lakh crore. The project comprises 12 stations spread across 508 kms and having speed of about 320 to 350 kmph. The project shall benefit the commuters and industries of Mumbai city, Thane, Vasai, Virar, Boisar, Tarapur, Palghar and other places of North Maharashtra. Out of 12 stations in the alignment of Mumbai Ahamedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR), 4 stations are located in Maharashtra namely BKC, Thane, Virar and Boisar which comprises the length of 156 km, an official statement said.

Also read: Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat soon, trials to begin on Tuesday

Project-SMART of MoHUA envisages to develop surrounding areas of Mumbai - Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) stations to enhance accessibility and convenience of commuters and other stakeholders and to promote economic activities in the vicinity of station areas. The project would facilitate and enhance institutional capacity of State Governments, Municipal Corporations and Urban Development Authorities like MMRDA to plan, develop and manage surrounding areas of Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail stations.