FCC

India, Japan sign agreements on technology, railways and urban transport projects

2018-10-31

India and Japan recently met and signed agreements on technology, railways and urban transport projects. To revolutionise connectivity in India, Japan and India are cooperating to develop the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR). Further, a loan agreement for the second tranche of Japanese ODA loan for MAHSR has also been signed, following the Japan International Cooperation Agency?s (JICA) appraisal mission in September 2018. The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) will be executing the MAHSR, and the final location survey of the project has already been completed. All underground and overhead utilities have been decided, based on final alignment.

Land acquisition process between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is already in progress, and is expected to be completed by December 2018. The joint measurement survey for 328 km out of the 487 km has also been completed. There are 26 contract packages to the entire project, including the high-speed rail training institute, out of which four packages are already awarded.

A multi-modal transport integration plan, which is essential for creating a smart and sustainable integrated transport network, is being prepared for all the 12 stations. JICA has signed a memorandum for general consultancy with the Ministry of Railways, NHSRCL and JV of Japanese consultants, which will give the project a new direction. The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) is also being implemented through JICA funding. Its primary objective is to reduce the congestion in the Mumbai-Delhi route. The DFC has reportedly completed 48 per cent physical progress of civil packages and 802 km of track laying. Tenders worth Rs 331.3 billion have already been awarded and nearly 99 per cent of land has been possessed.