The feasibility study on the proposed bullet train on Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar route has estimated the cost of the project to be around Rs 1 lakh crore and suggested direct government funding instead of a public private partnership (PPP).
The proposed high speed train, running at a speed of 300 kmph, is expected to reduce travel time between the national capital and the holy city of the Sikhs to just about two-and-half hours hours from the existing six hours.
The report, prepared by French consulting agency Systra along with Railway subsidiary RITES and submitted to the Railway Ministry on Friday, has advocated direct funding from the government and not PPP.
The project is estimated to cost about Rs 1 lakh crore, including the cost of rolling stock and the price escalation, said a senior railway Ministry official. The report has proposed having stoppages at Ambala, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar for the high speed train along the 458-km-long route and suggested that the fare be fixed equivalent to that of Shatabdi's AC Executive Class. Suggesting standard gauge for the train, the report has given a 8-year timeline for completion of the project.
