Vadodara: Except Ahmedabad and Vadodara where the bullet train passenger terminals for the proposed Ahmedabad-Mumbai High Speed Railway Project will be parallel to the existing railway tracks of Indian Railways, all other bullet train stations in Gujarat will be constructed parallel to the state or national highways.
Of the total 12 stations to be constructed for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project on the 508-km high speed corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, four will be in Maharashtra including BKC, Thane, Virar and Boisar while eight including that at Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati will come up in Gujarat.
Sources in the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), executing the project, suggested that of the eight bullet train stations in Gujarat, six including that at Anand, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora and Vapi will come up at villages located at a distant away from the existing railway stations.
After crossing Ahmedabad, where the proposed alignment runs parallel to the existing Ahmedabad-Mumbai railway line, the first bullet train station for commuters from NRI-rich belt of Charotar region comprising of Anand and Kheda districts, will come up at Kheda’s Uttarsanda village which is more popular for its ‘papad’.
“The location of the bullet train station at Uttarsanda which will be convenient for passengers from both Anand and Kheda districts is between National Highway-64 (that connects Ahmedabad on the northern end to Dandi on the southern end) and the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway. It is nearly 4.5 km away from the existing railway track,” a NHSRCL official told TOI.
In other words, the bullet train station at Uttarsanda will be far away from Nadiad and Anand railway stations.
Similarly, after crossing the Vadodara stretch, the next bullet train station which will come up at Dahegam village near Bharuch-Dahej Road in Bharuch district is also perched between state highway and national highway and at a distant away from both the existing railway stations of Bharuch and Ankleshwar.
The bullet train station for Surtis will come up at Antroli village nearly nine km away from the Surat railway station.
“The location of the station at Antroli is nearly one km near the NH-48 stretch,” said the official.
Beyond Surat, the next station will be constructed at Kesali village around 3 km away from Bilimora which will acts as a boarding/ unboarding point for residents of Bilimora, Navsari and Valsad districts.
The bullet train station for Vapi – the last stop at the Southern end of Gujarat - will be constructed at Dungra village which too is located near the state highway and approximately 5.5 km away from NH-48.
Of the eight districts in Gujarat where NHSRCL officials need to acquire around 875 hectares land for the project, the officials have so far held consultative meetings with stakeholders in six districts including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Anand, Kheda, Bharuch and Surat while they will be soon holding such rounds in Navsari and Valsad districts.
