Bullet Train Project: Bids Open For Construction Of Sabarmati Maintenance Depot

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), responsible for executing the country's first bullet train project, invited technical bids for the construction of the Sabarmati maintenance depot for the Mumbai Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. According to a statement shared by NHSRCL, the technical bids opened on Friday, February 19. A total of nine bidders participated in the process and the submitted bids will go through an evaluation process in the next stage. After evaluation, the financial bids will be opened for the successful technical bidders. (Also Read: Bullet Train Project: Sabarmati Terminal To Be The Only Station With Multimodal Transit Hub )

According to the  National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited, the nine bidders which participated in the process were URC Construction (P) Limited, M. S. Khurana Engineering Limited, Montecarlo Limited, KEC International Limited, Patel Infrastructure Limited, SCC-VRS (JV), Ranjit Buildcon Limited, ISGEC Heavy Engineering Limited, and Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon Private Limited.

The Sabarmati maintenance depot will be the largest depot among the three depots planned for the bullet train network. The other two depots will come up at Surat in Gujarat, and at Thane in Maharahstra. The organisation had issued a tender for the design and construction of the maintenance depot at Sabarmati for the bullet train on October 22, 2020. (Also Read: Bullet Train Project: Agreement Signed With L&T For India's Biggest Infrastructure Contract )

This tender includes road works, sewage and drainage works, earthwork, construction of reservoirs for storage of rooftop rainwater and stormwater, underground storage tanks, sheds for parking of the general inspection train, as well as the inspection cars for track and other civil works at the site marked for the Sabarmati depot. The Sabarmati depot will cover an area of approximately 84 hectare and will be utilized for inspection, maintenance, cleaning, and parking of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor's trainsets. The trainset washing facilities shall also be located at the depot.

The 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed bullet train will operate at a speed of 320 km per hour, once completely ready for services. It will cover 12 stations along the route, passing through specific locations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The entire distance will be covered in two-three hours with all stops.