During the pre-bidding stage of the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, seven Indian companies have shown keen interest in the construction of the undersea tunnel.

A National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) official told IANS, "Seven Indian companies had participated in pre-bid meeting for constructing the undersea tunnel of the corridor."

Tender for construction of the tunnel is already floating in the market and bids will be accepted till February 19, 2020. The bullet train is supposed to pass from BKC to Kalyan Shilphata through a 21 km long underground tunnel.

The tender is for the construction of the tunnel. This will include testing and commissioning of the tunnel using Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and a New Austrian tunnelling method (NATM).

A team of engineers from NHSRCL, RITES and Japan's Kawasaki Geological Engineering firm carried out a geo-technical investigation of the undersea tunnel area.

It is estimated that the bullet trains will run at an average speed of 350 km per hour, covering 508 km in less than two hours. It takes more than 7 hours for trains who run on the same route, whereas flights take about an hour.

The foundation stone for the Rs 1.08 lakh crore HSR project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on September 14, 2017.

(With inputs from IANS)