May 9, 2023: The housing ministry and the railways ministry on May 8 signed a joint memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to develop areas surrounding the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Railway (MAHSR) Stations.
The MoU was signed for the development of four high-speed rail stations, one each in Sabarmati (Brown field), Surat, Virar and Thane (Green field). There will be a total of 12 stations along the planned route.
The initiative, known as the Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (SMART) Project, aims at enhanced accessibility and convenience for commuters and other stakeholders. The move will also trigger fresh economic activities in the vicinity of all the station areas.
Under the project, the institutional capacities of state governments, municipal corporations and urban development authorities would be facilitated and enhanced to help them develop and manage the surrounding areas of MAHSR stations.
The housing ministry and the JICA along with governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra have started organising a series of seminars and field visits for the Project–SMART in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The first seminar was organised on 8 May at the Nirman Bhawan, in New Delhi.
The deliberations would further contribute to the preparation of station area development plans for Sabarmati, Surat, Virar and Thane HSR stations. It would also help in creating a model handbook containing vast experiences and methodologies adopted in Japan, India and other countries for transit-oriented development and station area development projects.
The MAHSR corridor is being developed on a total of 1,396 hectare land connecting three sites along the route, with 956 hectare in Gujarat, 8 hectare in Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and 432 hectare in Maharashtra.
The rail line is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 lakh crore and is expected to ferry 92,000 passengers daily when completed.
There will be 12 stations on a stretch of 508 km running through Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Gujarat. The route will cover 155.76 km in Maharashtra, 348.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
The entire stretch of this corridor will run on an elevated viaduct at a height of 10-15 meters from the ground, except for a 26-km stretch in Mumbai, which will be built underground. All stations, except the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) station, will be located on an elevated route.
(Image: PIB)
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