New Delhi: The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Thursday signed the country’s largest-ever infrastructure contract agreement of nearly Rs 25,000 crore, with infrastructure conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the design and construction of 47% alignment of the 237 km long viaduct between Vapi (Zaroli village at Maharashtra-Gujarat border) and Vadodara (Gujarat).
NHSRCL is responsible for developing the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project in the country and it has awarded work for 325 km falling in Gujarat to L&T. This agreement signed for the implementation of the high-speed rail corridor is said to be the country’s biggest infrastructure contract for construction and design.
The contract involves a significant 47% of the high-speed rail alignment, which includes the construction of four stations and a depot. It includes the stations – Billimora, Vapi, Bharuch, and Surat, as well as the Surat Deport along with 14 river crossings, 42 road crossings, and six railway crossings including one mountain tunnel of 350 meters in length. This 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The duration for completion of the works is four years from the date of commencement of the contract NHSRCL has said. Technical bids for this tender were opened on Sept. 23 and L&T emerged as the lowest bidder in the auction of the project. Therefore in less than a month, the financial bids were opened after evaluation of the technical bids, the statement said.
“The NHSRCL signed a contract agreement with Larsen & Toubro Limited today for the design and construction of 237 km length of the viaduct between Vapi (Zaroli Village at Maharashtra- Gujarat Border) and Vadodara in the state of Gujarat for 508 km of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor,” the company said in a statement.
Satoshi Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to India, was also present at the event along with senior officials of the Railway Board and NHSRCL. He said, “The contract for such a mammoth infrastructure project has been awarded at a time when it was required to accelerate economic activities.” He also added that that said project will not only help in the transfer of Japanese technologies to India but it will also transform urban development along its corridor.
As per reports, PM Narendra Modi asked the railways to go ahead with the work in the Gujarat portion and complete it rather than waiting for Maharashtra to get the required land for this.
“During the construction phase of this section, the areas around the alignment will witness social and economic development. There will be employment generation not only for professionals like engineers, technicians, designers, architects, etc but also for the skilled and semi-skilled workforce and construction workers.”
“There will be a boost in the demand for construction material and machinery like cement, steel, heavy construction machinery, cranes, trailers, etc. The ancillary industries like hospitality, entertainment, health, tourism, real estate, and housing and education will also flourish during the construction,” the statement said.
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