Delhi-Mumbai expressway to reduce travel time by 12 hours

The government is planning to build a new expressway connecting Mumbai and Delhi that is expected to reduce travel time by 12 hours. The new Greenfield expressway is part of the Bharatmala Project and will be completed in 4 phases. 

The Mumbai-Vadodara and Delhi-Jaipur stretch will be completed in the first phase. Construction on the latter has already started and is expected to be completed in the next 1.5 years at an estimated cost of Rs. 16,000 crore, while contracts are currently being issued for the former. Connecting Mumbai to Vadodara is likely to cost Rs. 44,000 crore. The new expressway will pass through less developed areas including Kota, Rajasthan. Jaipur to Kota and Kota to Vadodara will be completed in two separate phases. 

At present, it takes around 24 hours to cover the approximately 1,400 km between Mumbai and Delhi. The new expressway will reduce travel time by half, which would be faster than the present train service between the two cities.

Source: DNA