India’s National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has launched the tender for the design and construction of Mumbai high-speed station which will be part of the Mumbai – Ahmedabad high-speed rail line.

The bids must be submitted between October 13 and 18 and are expected to be opened on October 21 after the completion of the technical and financial assessment.

The civil and buildings works competitive bidding includes the construction of a cut and cover tunnel and Shaft 1 from kilometre 0.255 to km 0.775 at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, in the State of Maharashtra.

Mumbai high-speed station will have three levels with the first one covering the ticketing and shopping areas. The second level is designed as an interchange area providing connection with the metro system, while the third level will provide access to rail services. At 24 metres below ground level, six platforms will be constructed two of which being designed for Mumbai – Ahmedabad high-speed services. Each platform will be 425m-long to accommodate a 16-car high-speed train.

The station is expected to be constructed in 4 years from contract signing.

NHSRCL says that the international competitive bidding will be conducted in accordance with JICA’s single stage bidding procedure as part of the agreement to construct the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high speed rail. Under an agreement with the Indian Government signed on July 25, JICA has provided a first tranche of USD 751.9 million. JICA has been supporting the project for the Mumbai – Ahmedabad high-speed rail by providing ODA loans of JPY 250 billion (USD 1.88 billion) since 2017.

For Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed project, Larsen & Toubro Limited is currently performing the construction works for a 8 km viaduct. In May 2022, NHSRCL awarded Larsen & Toubro a contract for the construction 116 km slab tracks as part of the Package – T3 between Vadodara and Sabarmati in Gujarat. Larsen & Toubro is already executing civil viaduct and station packages C4, C5 and C6 and special steel bridges packages P4(X) & P4(Y) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail project.

In January 2022, NHSRCL and Ircon International signed a contract for the track Package T-2 covering a 237.1 km long line, the first track section concluded for the high-speed project. The T-2 package covers about 47% of total alignment of the Mumbai – Ahmedabad high-speed project from Maharashtra- Gujarat border to Vadodara in the state of Gujarat. The scope of works in this package include design, supply and construction of track and track related works including testing and commissioning. Japan Railway Track Consultants (JRTC) and Japan Railway Technical Service (JARTS) will be working closely with the contractor of the T-2, Ircon International Ltd. JRTC will work as nominated sub contractor for track design works while JARTS will coordinate and mobilise Japanese experts to provide the Indian side with training and certification and advisory services.

The 508 km high-speed rail line with 11 stations will be constructed between Mumbai (at BKC station) and Sabarmati terminal in Ahmedabad which is constructed by BL Kashyap & Sons Ltd.

The line will cut the travel time to 2 hours providing increased transport capacity. Each train will run at 320 km/h and will accommodate between 750 and 1,250 passengers, depending on the demand. NHSRCL estimates that 17,900 passengers per day in each direction will initially use the new train services, which will be subsequently increased to 92,900 passengers per day in each direction by the year 2053.