At Vadodara, passengers will be able to connect directly from the bullet train station to their onward destination. They will be able to board express and mail trains after arriving by bullet train, or reach Vadodara by conventional trains and then switch to the high-speed rail service. The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) is working on the connectivity arrangements.
The Vadodara railway station's Platform No. 7 will serve as an interchange between the existing railway station and the upcoming bullet train station. It will be connected to the bullet train station being constructed nearby, allowing passengers to transfer between conventional trains and high-speed trains without leaving the station premises or covering a long distance.
Passengers will be able to move between the two stations through a skywalk and escalators. NHSRCL has issued a tender worth Rs 15 crore for Platform No. 7, with the work scheduled to be completed within one and a half years.
The earlier design required Vadodara Junction's old Platform No. 7 to be removed because of the high-speed rail alignment. Engineers have now revised the alignment of Vadodara station. The new design is expected to save approximately Rs 2,000 crore.
The new Vadodara bullet train station is being built around a banyan tree theme, reflecting the city's name and its heritage associated with the banyan tree, known as "vad". The station will feature a business-class lounge, a nursery for children and a restaurant. A skylight on the roof will provide natural lighting inside the station.
A massive 240-metre-long steel bridge is also being constructed over the railway tracks to allow the bullet train to pass above the Vadodara yard.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor is 508 kilometres long and will have a total of 12 stations. Vadodara will be the ninth station on the route. It is also among the select stations where the rapid train, with fewer stops and the fastest bullet train service, will halt.
According to NHSRCL, the objective is to provide world-class multimodal connectivity by enabling seamless movement of passengers between Indian Railways, metro services and bullet trains.
The Sabarmati bullet train station near Ahmedabad has been built close to the existing Sabarmati railway station. It will bring bullet train services, metro connectivity and conventional Indian Railways trains together at one location.
Along with the bullet train, Sabarmati is India's first major Multi-Modal Transport Hub (MMTH). The bullet train station, Sabarmati railway station, Ahmedabad Metro station and interstate bus depot will be connected through foot overbridges and a skywalk. Passengers will be able to switch directly between the metro, conventional trains and bullet trains without leaving the station complex.
The Ahmedabad bullet train station is being constructed directly above Platforms 10, 11 and 12 of the railway's Kalupur station. A 16-storey multimodal transport hub is being developed at the location. Escalators and lifts will provide connectivity between Kalupur Metro station, the Ahmedabad Metro, the railway station and the city bus stand.
Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) bullet train station will follow a different connectivity model. The station is not being built above an existing railway station, but is being connected through multimodal infrastructure to Mumbai Metro Line 2B and nearby Bandra Terminus through a foot skywalk and road connectivity.
The BKC bullet train terminal will have underground metro connectivity, while a bus stand is also located nearby. However, Bandra Terminus and Bandra local railway station are 5 to 7 kilometres away for passengers travelling on local and express trains.
The planned connections at Vadodara, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad and BKC show how the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train stations are being integrated with existing rail, metro, bus and road networks to make transfers between different modes of transport more direct.
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