A senior rail ministry official, who is involved with the project, said the fare could be higher than that for the 1st AC coach of Rajdhani Express. The projected fare between Mumbai and Ahemdabad may be around Rs. 2,800.
Takeshi Yagi, the Japanese Ambassador to India, led the official JICA delegation that met Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and submitted the report on the bullet corridor. The Railway ministry is yet to examine the report and take a concrete decision about the corridor's future. However, a Cabinet note seeking approval for the project with an outline of the project feasibility and timelines is likely to be prepared next month. As mentioned earlier, if the work begins in 2017 the corridor is expected to be completed in 2023 and begin operation by 2024.
In his budget speech in March, Prabhu had said that "quick and appropriate action" on executing the high-speed project would be initiated after the submission of the JICA's final report.
(With inputs from PTI)
