A bullet train to economic prosperity? How station areas are being planned so

As the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR), or bullet train, project prepares for inauguration in early 2026, a huge attention is now diverted to the development of the 12 stations and urban development planned around 2 km of them.
During a recent visit to Ahmedabad and Mumbai, S. Akimura, project chief of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is overseeing the first HSR in India, in a chat with INDIA TODAY, said station development is a very important aspect of the HSR network as it is the first point of interaction for the commuter.
The bullet train that will cover the 502 km stretch between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is being developed on the Japanese Shinkansen technology in close coordination with Japan at an estimated cost of Rs 1.08 lakh crore. It is being executed with a loan from JICA for a tenure of 50 years at 0.1 per cent interest.
Over 80 per cent of the construction cost is being funded by JICA and the balance by the Indian government through the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) whose 50 per cent equity is held by the Union government and 25 per cent each by the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments.
“The Shinkansen was introduced in Japan in the 1960s under the National Income Doubling Plan. The social and economic impact of boosting the transport network was massive,” recalled Akimura. With decades of experience in developing transport connectivity and infrastructure in various Japanese government agencies, Akimura’s excitement and conviction of replicating the Japanese formula of economic development in India is palpable.
In India, similarly, expanding business opportunities and promoting tourism in station area and hinterland through planned development in the periphery of HSR stations are the focus of urban development authorities in both Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Land up to 500 metres around the station will be acquired and developed before HSR is inaugurated, while acquisition and development of 500-800 metres of area, which would entail high and middle density development, will be done within 10 years.
Over the years, Akimura said, the bullet train has contributed to the environment wellness of the region. For instance, the Himeji Station Area along Sanyo Shinkansen in Japan, vehicular traffic has reduced from 11,000 automobiles to 5,000 automobiles over 25 years while the population of the region has increased by 18 per cent. Tourism in Kanazawa increased by 40 per cent between 2009 and 2019 while property tax in Saku city jumped 117 times between 1996 and 2016. Saku’s population rose by 15 per cent between 1990 and 2019.
A technical cooperation agreement was signed in October 2022 between the Indian government and JICA to handhold Indian urban planners for five years to develop ‘Station Influence Areas’ that extend up to a radius of 2 km, besides excellent mobility in another 5-7 km radius outside the Station Influence Area.
The Japanese experts are handholding Indian urban planners to develop Thane and Boisar in Maharashtra and Sabarmati and Surat in Gujarat. Nuancing the design and overall aesthetic is a key aspect. Each of the 12 stations has been designed with care to reflect the local cultural ethos. For instance, the Anand station is designed around the White Revolution led by dairy farmers, and the Mumbai station is inspired by the clouds and crashing tides of Arabian Sea.
The first coaches are expected to reach India by the end of 2025 and a trial run of around 50 km will happen between Surat and Billimora. Commercial operation is scheduled to start by 2026, with a frequency of every hour through the day. Each train will have 10 cars with a total seating capacity of 690 passengers.
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