Mumbai: Railways invite bids for BKC station for Bullet train

An artist’s impression of the BKC station

With a clearance from the Maharashtra government, the railways on Friday invited fresh bids for the underground station at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) for the Bullet train line. National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) officials said BKC station will be the starting point of this 508-km long high-speed rail line and the tunnels till Shilphata will be more than 21-km-long, thus forming a vital component of India's first Bullet train project connecting the two cities.

Sources said eventually as the line expands to other corridors down south and other parts of the country, BKC will serve as their terminus as well. A key crossover for future corridors is expected to be in Thane district. The 21-km tunnel is part of another package and a tender for the same is yet to be floated.

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The NHSRCL has cancelled tenders floated in November 2019 for construction of the underground terminus at BKC as the state government failed to hand over the land. The first approvals for the land at BKC were received as early as 2018, but there was no movement from the state after that. The state had allotted the 4.2-hectare land on the condition that viability of the proposed International Finance and Service Centre will not be compromised. But the change of height of IFSC by MMRDA later led to design changes.

"NHSRCL has invited bids for the design and construction of BKC high-speed rail station. This will be the only underground station on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. In addition to the BKC station, the tender also includes the cut and cover length of 467 metres and a ventilation shaft of 66 metres. This shaft will also be used for taking out tunnel boring machines (retrieval shaft)," a spokesperson said. The official added, "The station will have six platforms of around 415 metres, which is sufficient to accommodate a 16-coach train. The station will have connectivity with the Metro and road."

"The platform is planned at a depth of about 24 metres from the ground level. There will be three floors including platform, concourse and service floor. Two entry/exit points are planned - one to facilitate access to the nearby station of Metro line 2B and the other towards the MTNL building. The station has been planned in a way that ample space is available for passenger movement and amenities at the concourse and platform level," she said. She added, "The amenities planned for passengers at stations include security, ticketing, waiting areas, lounge, nursery, information kiosks, CCTV surveillance, etc."

508
Length in km of the Bullet train corridor