Everything comes at a price. So does Modi’s dream of high speed trains. The proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor is expected to have a train fare of Rs2,800, which is almost one and a half times more than the fare of Rajdhani Express first class, the premium class in an Indian premium train.

However to justify this fare, the travel time on this route will be cut down by 5 hours making it a journey of just 2 hours to cover a distance of almost 600km.

According to the final feasibility report submitted to railways by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), bullet trains on the 505-km route will achieve a maximum speed of 350kmph, cutting travel time to 2 hours from more than seven hours it takes now, as per a news report by The Economic Times. The proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor is estimated to cost Rs98,805 crore.

If all goes well, the work will begin the venture in 2017 and complete it by 2023. The railways is now analysing Jica's report. A cabinet note seeking approval for the project is likely to be prepared next month, a railway official said.
The Japan government has offered low-interest funds for the project, an official said. But the offer comes with the rider that 30% of the rolling stock be sourced from Japanese firms. SNCF of France has already carried out a separate feasibility study of the route and submitted the business model to the ministry, according to the ET report.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi slams Modi for introducing bullet trains for 'suit-boot' people

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