Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail: MoHUA, JICA partner for station development
1 min read . Updated: 08 May 2023, 04:29 PM IST
PremiumThis project is an initiative towards modernizing railway infrastructure in India, with the potential to transform the areas around the high-speed rail stations into bustling economic centres.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Railways for the “Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail" (Project-SMART).
The project aims to develop the surrounding areas of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) stations to improve accessibility and convenience for commuters and other stakeholders, as well as to promote economic activities in the vicinity of station areas.
Under the MoU, four high-speed rail stations - Sabarmati, Surat in Gujarat, and Virar and Thane in Maharashtra - out of the 12 stations in the route will be developed. Surat, Virar and Thane are greenfield developments while Sabarmati is a brownfield development.
The project will also enhance the institutional capacity of state governments, municipal corporations and urban development authorities to plan, develop and manage the surrounding areas of MAHSR stations.
MoHUA, the governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, and JICA will organize a series of seminars and field visits for the Project-SMART in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. The first seminar of the series was held at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi on May 8, 2023, with the participation of officers from the Japan Embassy, JICA HQ, JICA India Office, JICA experts‘ team, Ministry of Railway, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited, MoHUA, and TCPO.
The discussions at the seminars will contribute to the preparation of “Station Area Development Plans" for Sabarmati, Surat, Virar, and Thane HSR Stations, as well as a model handbook containing experiences and methodologies adopted in Japan, India, and other countries for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Station Area Development.
This project is an initiative towards modernizing railway infrastructure in India, with the potential to transform the areas around the high-speed rail stations into bustling economic centres.