Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], March 1 : Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the National High-Speed Rail project sites on Saturday, inspecting the ongoing work at the Anand Bullet Train Station in Ahmedabad.
Speaking to ANI, Vaishnaw said, "The progress of work in the bullet train is good... It's a good thing that many of the technical capabilities have been initiated in India due to this work, and many of the firms have started exporting related components. During Uddhav Thackeray's government in Maharashtra, we didn't get permission, but now we are getting full cooperation from the Devendra-Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government..."
The Union Minister also visited the site of the steel bridge installation at NH 48, which is a key component of the project. Vaishnaw highlighted that the bridge weighed over 1100 tonnes.
Speaking about the steel bridge installation, Vaishnaw noted that many of its specialised components were designed and made in India. He also mentioned that the team working on this bridge had previously worked on the Anji and Chenab bridges.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "In bullet train projects, many places have some kind of unique construction. This bridge is over 1100 tons. Many of its specialised components are Made in India, and many of the components are designed in India. The team that is working here is the expert of bridge building - this is the team which has worked in Anji and Chenab bridges."
Earlier in the day, Vaishnaw had inspected the Ahmedabad Railway Station Redevelopment Project and announced that 360 km of the Bullet Train project has been completed, with the Maharashtra section making significant progress.
He mentioned that the two-and-a-half-year delay caused by permission issues with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is being addressed.
"The work of almost 360 km of the Bullet Train has been completed, and the loss of two and a half years that we had due to the permission denied by (Uddhav) Thackeray, we are trying to make up that as well," said Vaishnaw.
He further added that the Maharashtra section of the Bullet Train is progressing well, with "almost 2 km of the undersea tunnel ready". National High Speed rail project in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, on Saturday, inspected the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project for the "first time" and praised the initiative as a key step toward India's infrastructural development.