Kamatibaug’s toy bullet train project on hold

Vadodara: Plans to run the toy bullet train project at Kamatibaug got derailed once again after significant diversions from the original contract came to light. The train will now run only after the procedural faults are rectified, said sources.
Soon after the train’s engine and other parts arrived Kamatibaug, members of the opposition Congress in the civic body alleged that the signing of the project’s MoU was mired in controversy.

They said that despite it being a major project involving revenue sharing, it was signed by the in-charge director of parks and gardens, starting a row. They also alleged that the project would give VMC a paltry amount, while the contractor will make significant profits.

VMC officials said that the proposal to run the new train got stalled after it came to light that it would have been a major departure from the original contract for the Sayaji Express. Any changes would require the VMC standing committee’s approval, but the proposal to start the toy bullet train was never brought to the committee’s notice.

The toy bullet train was to run on the same tracks as the existing Sayaji Express, which was started on a public-private partnership model. The latter’s operator was given a contract for 15 years in 2013. Sources said that the contract for the existing Sayaji Express would expire before the toy bullet train starts to operate. This implies that the contractor would indirectly get an extension.

According to an official, the decision to put the project on hold was taken on February 23, a day before the engine arrived at the garden. The officials are now looking to start the train only at a later stage after following all the necessary procedures. For now, the toy train’s engine has been taken away from the garden.