Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspects slab track system for bullet train project in Surat

Following the inspection, the Railways Minister emphasised the importance of the slab in the bullet train project, highlighting the skilled work with high precision is being done here in the manufacturing facility.

"Slab is the most important part of the bullet train project... The world's largest slab manufacturing facility, based on Japanese technology, is here in Kim Village in Surat. High precision and highly skilled work is being done here in this facility. Testing and quality checks are also of very high standards. Earlier we brought equipment from Japan but now manufacturing has started in India. This facility will also help in future construction projects," Vaishnaw told reporters.

Meanwhile, a state-of-the-art track slab manufacturing factory has been established near Surat to support India's first bullet train project. This factory marks a major milestone in the development of the country's high-speed rail infrastructure, an official release said on Saturday.

The factory is designed to produce high-capacity ballastless track slabs using advanced Shinkansen technology, the release added.

Located in Kim Village, the project site ensures efficient logistics for the bullet train construction and timely delivery of track slabs.

As per the information mentioned in the release, the pre-cast reinforced concrete track slabs are typically 2,200 mm wide, 4,900 mm long, and 190 mm thick, with each slab weighing approximately 3.9 tons.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project spans a 508-kilometer corridor and is set to transform high-speed rail travel in India. The bullet train will connect two of the country's largest economic hubs, with a top speed of 320 km/h.

After the completion of the corridor, the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be reduced to about two hours, down from the current six-hour journey by conventional rail.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project is a key government initiative expected to usher in a new era of safety, speed, and service for the people and help Indian Railways become an international leader in scale, speed and skill.

The MAHSR project passes through high growth rate States of Gujarat and Maharashtra connecting business centres of Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad. The sanctioned cost of the MAHSR project is Rs 1,08,000 crore. (ANI)