Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took to X on Thursday to share a video of India's first ballastless track system being developed for the bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Significant progress has been achieved for the Bullet Train, which has a 320 kmph speed barrier, the minister revealed. According to Mr Vaishnaw, 295.5 km of piers and 153 km of viaducts have already been finished.
He posted a video of the same on his X account and wrote, "Bharat's first ballastless track for Bullet Train. 320 kmph speed threshold, 153 km of viaduct completed, 295.5 km of pier work completed. More to come in Modi 3.0".
Watch the video here:
Ballastless track, or 'slab track' is growing in popularity in some countries for high-speed lines. Notably, this is for the first time, the J-slab ballastless track system is being used in India. The innovative track system features pre-cast track slabs meticulously equipped with fastening devices and rails.
This slab rests on the RC track bed which has a thickness of approximately 300mm and is constructed in situ (at the site) for individual UP and Down track lines on the viaduct top. The RC track bed boasts a width of 2420mm, ensuring stability, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) said.
"The bullet train project has to be seen from the perspective of integrating economies. In the first corridor that Indian railways are doing, Mumbai, Thane, Vapi, Baroda, Surat, Anand and Ahmedabad - all these economies will become one single economy. So you can have breakfast in Surat, go and complete your work in Mumbai, and come back with your family in the night," Mr Vaishnaw said at NDTV Indian of the Year award on March 24.
The projected cost is an estimated ₹ 1.08 lakh crore, of which the Centre is committed to providing ₹ 10,000 crore, while Gujarat and Maharashtra will contribute ₹ 5,000 crore each. The remaining funding will be secured through a loan from Japan - at a minimal 0.1 per cent interest rate.
