Mumbai-Nagpur bullet train feasible, says Vossinger

The pre-feasibility report on the high-speed train project initiated by the state for travel between Mumbai and Nagpur via Pune, submitted to chief minister Ashok Chavan, says while the project is feasible, the construction cost, and therefore the fares, would be higher than earlier anticipated.

According to German consulting firm Vossing, which was appointed by the Maharashtra government to prepare the report, the distance between Mumbai and Nagpur could be covered within three and a half hours, with the Pune stretch taking just one hour. Currently, the journey takes 14 hours.

The project envisages trains running at a speed of 300 km per hour in the 850 km corridor between Mumbai and Nagpur. The study comes after many months of discussions about the need for superfast rail corridor linking different parts of the state to Mumbai.

Nagpur is already being developed as an international air cargo hub. Reports say the the superfast train corridors would be in addition to the expressways being planned to connect various regions.

Vossing has found that while the long-distance routes are viable, it said that shorter routes, such as the one proposed between Mumbai's Santa Cruz airport and Nariman Point (18 km), Goregaon (15 km) and Kalyan (50 km), are not viable.

Former State finance minister Jayant Patil, who has had first-hand experience of bullet trains in Germany, had mooted the proposal of high-speed trains between Mumbai and Nagpur via Pune before the state Cabinet. The proposal was later approved by the cabinet and a feasibility study was initiated.

The fares for the bullet trains are expected to be higher than upper-class train fares but lower than air fares. ''It is finally up to the commuters whether they would be ready to pay the high price for the service. If that aspect is not feasible then the entire project might have to be scraped,'' one official noted.