The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has started the construction of the Thane Rolling Stock Depot, a key component of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The contract for the design and construction of the depot was awarded to M/s DINESHCHANDRA- DMRC JV, a joint venture company, on February 12, 2024.
The Thane depot will be spread over an area of 55 hectares and will house the facilities for servicing and maintaining the high-speed train sets. The depot will have 4 inspection lines and 10 stabling lines in the initial phase, which can be expanded to 8 and 31 lines respectively in the future. The depot will also be equipped with 200 pieces of 40 types of depot machineries, procured from Japan, that will ensure the high-efficiency maintenance of the train sets.
The Thane depot is one of the three rolling stock depots planned for the bullet train project, along with Sabarmati and Surat in Gujarat. The depots will follow the global best practices of the Shinkansen depots in Japan, which are known for their operational excellence.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is India’s first high-speed rail corridor, which will cover a distance of 508 km and reduce the travel time between the two cities from 7 hours to 2 hours. The project is being implemented by NHSRCL with technical and financial assistance from Japan.
The Managing Director of NHSRCL, Vivek Kumar Gupta, expressed confidence in the progress of the project and the cooperation with the Japanese partners, the Ministry of Railways, the contractors, the workers, and the NHSRCL team. He said that the project will be completed with a focus on pace, safety, and quality.
