NHSRCL and L&T Sign Contract for Bullet Train’s Package C4

India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) and Larsen & Toubro on Thursday signed a formal contract valued at Rs 24,985 crore to build the 237.1 km Package C4 of the 508.17 km Mumbai – Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR Bullet Train) that aims to connect both cities through 12 stations at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.1 lakh crore (US$15 billion).

Satoshi Suzuki, the Ambassador of Japan to India also attended the event. A Facebook Live recording of it can be viewed here and I’d recommend skipping to the 43:00 mark as that’s when the actual event starts.

Photo Copyright: NHSRCL

Package C4 – the first of two packages awarded so far in October for the main-line’s 8 packages – represents 46.66% of the line making it the longest amongst all. It runs elevated from Zaroli Village on the Maharashtra – Gujarat border to Vadodara Station through 4 stations at Vapi, Bilimora, Surat and Bharuch in Gujarat.

It also includes construction of the Surat Depot, 14 river crossings, 42 road crossings, 6 railway crossings and one 350 meter tunnel through a hill – the location of which is unknown to me.

Indicative alignment of Package C4 from the Gujarat-Maharashtra border to Vadodara – view Mumbai Ahmedabad HSR info & route map

India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) had opened technical bids to reveal 3 bidders on September 23, completed technical bid evaluation within a month, and then opened financial bids on October 19 in which Larsen & Toubro emerged as the lowest bidder, placing a bid of Rs. 24,985 crore. The completion period for Package C4 is four years from the date of commencement stated in the contract.

With land acquisition still a major hurdle in Maharashtra, NHSRCL is pressing ahead with getting at least the Gujarat portion of the line operational, which spans roughly 354 km across 5 packages. Earlier this week, they invited bids for Packages P1B and P1C which involves constructing 5 prestressed concrete (PSC) and 11 steel truss bridges within Gujarat.

A list of this project’s tenders (pre-construction and civil packages) and their status’ can be viewed here.

I’m expecting a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony to take place before the year ends, basic enabling / groundwork in Q1 2021, and full fledged construction work commencing in Q2 2021.

For more updates, check out the High Speed Rail section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG

written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

16 Responses to "NHSRCL and L&T Sign Contract for Bullet Train’s Package C4"

  1. Jyoti Fagwani says:

    Congrats team L&T. Historic moment for all of us.

    Reply
  2. Clevin Gomes says:

    Now i guess the work will start anytime soon. Atleast from Sabarmati to Vapi. But it will be more efficient if it run till Mumbai. But unfortunately Maharashtra Govt. doesn’t seem any interest to this project. They already saying this project as a white elephant, even before bullet train starts. You can’t judge the book by its cover. Once, bullet train will open, it will be a blessing for the development of India. Maharashtra Govt. Should give this project a priority, instead of making politics.

    Reply
    • Jyoti Mohapatra says:

      Yes Mumbai GOVT is jealous of Central GOVT..They don’t want to help them as it is not their plan….If Fadnavis would have been there we would have seen the complete Tender awarded…

      Reply
  3. RAKESH RAINA says:

    Will China origin machinery be allowed to be used for execution of this JICA ODA funded project. What is the eligibility criteria for source of Machinery as per loan agreement.

    Reply
  4. Ram Mittal says:

    Congrats to L&T team 🎉

    Reply
  5. Rajesh kumar says:

    Sir I am structure contractor
    Cont n 7357064809

    Reply
  6. saket says:

    I’m assuming there will be more ceremonies for the other packages? Or special for this package as it was the first and the largest?

    Also, does this mean the completion date will be in Nov 2025?

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      1. Not sure. I think they might do it for some of the big ‘C’ level packages but on a smaller scale. Let’s see…

      2. I don’t know the exact date of contract commencement highlighted in the contract doc. It could be the date of signing or a future date.

      Assuming it’s the date of signing – then yes they’re targeting November 2024 for completing just civil works. If we add potential delays, system installation and testing, then I’d imagine the entire section will open up towards 2026-end. I’m sure NHSRCL is targeting to complete an early-bird priority section, so we’ll likely see the first train run much before that. Let’s see…

      Reply
  7. Swapnil Patil says:

    Congratulations Team L&T

    Reply
  8. Vivek R Pendse says:

    Dear Sir,
    Many Congratulations to Team L & T for getting the prestigious project.
    We worked with L&T at Nashik for 9km flyover project 5 years before.
    Great experience to work with L& T.
    Please inform where & whome to contact for Vapi To Ahmedabad L& T project office ?
    Regards.
    Vivek Pendse.9823196801.Valsad.Gujrat.

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      I imagine L&T will setup a new dedicated project office with various field offices. In the meanwhile, I’d recommend contacting their Mumbai HQs or reaching out to leadership on LinkedIn

      Reply
  9. Akshay Sarade says:

    Congratulations ⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘

    Reply

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