Dandi March theme for bullet train’s Sabarmati station

NEW DELHI: Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March in 1930 is set to be the theme that will dictate the design of the Sabarmati terminal of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) said on Friday.

The facade of the station, the first in India’s 508-km high-speed corridor, will capture Gandhi’s salt satyagraha in Dandi against the British in murals, with an image of a charkha covering the entire stretch from top down. Solar panels will be put on the roof to power the complex.

“Design of the station is finalised and we are expecting to complete the land acquisition by December 2018 and start the construction thereafter,” said Achal Khare, managing director of the corporation.

The main station would be 500metre away from an interchange building and will be connected by

THE COST OF THE STATION WILL BE AROUND ₹250 CRORE AND THERE WILL BE THREELEVEL PARKING

a bridge for pedestrians. Passengers of two metro stations and a railway station will access the bullet train station at the interchange terminal. “The cost of the station will be around ₹250 crore and there will be three-level parking with the capacity for 1,500 vehicles below the station. One level of parking will be for cars, another for buses and third level will be for autorickshaws,” said a NHSRC spokesperson.

The administration and the NHSRC have started the land acquisition process in Mumbai’s neighbouring Palghar district for the bullet train project. Officials said 65 hectares will be required in the district for the construction, which includes elevated tracks, pillars and a service road.

Of the 28 villages affected by the land acquisition, 26 have been issued notices.

Most of the land acquisition will have to be done in Gujarat, while 350 hectares will be from Maharashtra. Thirty-five bullet trains with 10 coaches will initially run on the route. The train will have one business class and nine standard coaches.

The lowest fare is expected to be ₹250 and there will be a cap of ₹3,000 for premium fares.