Tata Projects, Larsen and Toubro, Afcons Infrastructure Limited and IRCON International Limited are among the seven infrastructure majors that are in the bidding race for constructing the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.

The implementing agency of this project, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. in a statement said that the technical bids for the design and the construction of the mainline stretch of 237 km length were opened on Wednesday. The agency also added that the tender covers about 47 per cent of the 508 km of the total alignment between Vapi and Vadodara in Gujarat including the four major stations Vapi, Billimora, Surat and Bharuch and has 24 river and 30 road crossings.

The total alignment of 508.17 km long network will pass through the three districts (Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar) in Maharashtra and eight districts (Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Kheda, and Ahmedabad) in Gujarat. The bids were received in two consortia- Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. – IRCON International Ltd. – JMC Projects India Ltd. – Consortium, NCC Ltd. – Tata Project Ltd. – J. Kumar Infra Projects Ltd. – HSR Consortium. In contrast, the only sole bidder for the project was Larsen & Toubro Ltd.

The bullet train project has been targeted to be completed by December 2023 and has faced problems in the land acquisition by farmers due to the Covid-19 outbreak. VK Yadav, Chairman Railway Board in a press conference, had said that more than 80 per cent land acquisition had been completed in Gujarat for the high-speed rail corridor, while the pace is ramping up in Maharashtra.