📋 Tender Overview
Scope of workConstruction of Delhi-Varanasi bullet train project. DescriptionThe preliminary cost of the project is estimated to be about Rs 52680 crore. The Delhi-Varanasi project is part of Delhi-Kolkata high-speed corridor 1474.5 km. If the project becomes a reality it will cut the travel time between the two cities from 13 hours to just 2 hours and 37 minutes. At present a superfast train takes around 13 hours to cover 720 km distance. The stretch will reportedly pass through Aligarh Agra Kanpur Lucknow and Sultanpur. The train will take just one hour and 38 minutes to reach Lucknow from Delhi 440 km. The fare of Rs 4.5per km was considered as base fare. Meaning travel between Delhi to Lucknow will cost at least Rs 1980 and Delhi to Varanasi will cost around Rs 3240. As per the report if the project starts in 2021 the Delhi-Lucknow stretch will be functional by 2029 while Delhi-Varanasi will be operational by 2031.Work has commenced on detailed project report DPR for the proposed Delhi-Varanasi high-speed rail HSR corridor following instructions of the Central government.The 865-km long Delhi-Varanasi high-speed rail corridor is one of the eight HSR passageways that has been proposed. The project has been proposed to optimise high-speed rail connectivity between major cities and strengthen the industrial sector.Work has already begun on 508-km long Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor that will see bullet trains running at a speed of 320 km per hour.Once the Delhi-Varanasi corridor project is completed it will reduce travel time between the two cities to around four-and-a-half hours.In 2019 the countrys first semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off between New Delhi and Varanasi.The National High Speed Rail Corporation NHSRCL has been entrusted by the Ministry of Railways to prepare DPRs for seven new high-speed rail corridors namely Delhi-Varanasi Varanasi-Howrah Mumbai-Nagpur Delhi-Ahmedabad Chennai-Mysore Delhi-Amritsar and Mumbai-Hyderabad.In early July 2020 NHSRCL had invited four bids related to data collection preliminary designs and survey work for preparation of the DPR of the Delhi-Varanasi HSR corridor.The collection of relevant data for preparation of interim DPR is under process. The location of stations will be proposed after survey reports and consultation with the government.Moreover the interim work on other corridors is also progressing. The Delhi-Varanasi corridor may follow Noida-Agra-Kanpur-Lucknow route.The tender floated by NHSRCL for the Delhi-Varanasi HSR corridor includes carrying out an environmental impact assessment study preparation of an environment impact assessment report and environment management plan data collection associated survey work final alignment design including an aerial LIDAR survey.
