PM promises 3 bullet trains in north, east, south India as part of BJP manifesto

As part of the BJP's poll manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to expand bullet train services in the country.

In Short

• PM Modi promises to expand bullet train services in India
• Work on Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train near completion
• BJP to also expand Vande Bharat trains across the country

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday promised to expand bullet train services in the country, adding that three new trains will run in north, east and south India. As the Prime Minister unveiled the BJP's poll manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he also said that a survey on this will begin soon.

"Today the work on the Ahmedabad Mumbai Bullet Train is going on in full swing and is almost reaching completion. In the same way, one bullet train will run in North India, one bullet train in South India and one bullet train in Eastern India. Survey work for this will also start soon," the Prime Minister said after he unveiled the BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' at the party's headquarters in Delhi.

His remarks came just days after the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) announced that bullet train work had commenced in Maharashtra's Palghar and Thane districts, which are part of the 508-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor.

In its announcement on April 10, NHSRCL, which is implementing the bullet train project, said that geotechnical investigation for the complete 135 km stretch is also nearing completion, while work on two of the mountain tunnels, as well as pier foundation work, have started at multiple locations, said the release.

The total cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor is pegged at Rs 1.08 lakh crore and as per the shareholding pattern, the Central government is to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved, Gujarat and Maharashtra, are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi also said that the BJP will also expand Vande Bharat trains to every corner of the country.

"Three models of Vande Bharat will run in the country - Vande Bharat Sleeper, Vande Bharat Chaircar and Vande Bharat Metro," he added.

Since the first Vande Bharat train entered commercial service in February 2019, there are a total of 51 trains currently in operation.

Published By:
Karishma Saurabh Kalita
Published On:
Apr 14, 2024