Mumbai: Even as the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project faces uncertainty, the Public Work Minister Ashok Chavan has urged the chief minister to request the Centre for the development of the Mumbai-Aurangabad-Jalna-Nanded-Hyderabad bullet train. Chavan told Free Press Journal, “The Marathwada region is suffering due to adequate transport connectivity and access. Already the Aurangabad-Jalna-Nanded connector to Mumbai Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway is being developed and the land acquisition for the same is completed. Therefore, the govt will not need to incur an additional cost of land acquisition for the proposed bullet train.’’ He said CM has in principle agreed to the project and now the state will send a formal proposal to Centre.
‘’The National High Speed Rail Corporation has been formed at the national level to implement bullet train projects. Bullet or high-speed trains are proposed from Mumbai to Nagpur and Mumbai to Hyderabad via Pune and Solapur. However, in this entire scheme of things, Marathwada has been completely left out in this planning. The Mumbai-Nagpur project can be extended up to Jalna and Nanded,’’ said Chavan in a letter to Thackeray.
Chavan said two routes comprising Pune-Solapur and Aurangabad-Nanded will be available to reach Hyderabad from Mumbai. ‘’Therefore, the state government should urgently send the proposal for the development of Mumbai-Aurangabad-Jalna-Nanded-Hyderabad bullet train,’’ he noted.
