The Union Housing and Urban Affairs and the Railways ministries have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for building four stations along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (Project-SMART) corridor, a statement said on Monday.
The four stations will be Sabarmati, Surat, Virar and Thane, said the statement issued by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
According to the ministry, Project-SMART envisages developing surrounding areas of the stations to enhance accessibility and convenience of commuters and other stakeholders, and to promote economic activities in their vicinities.
The project would facilitate and enhance the institutional capacity of state governments, municipal corporations and urban development authorities to plan, develop and manage surrounding areas of high-speed railway stations.
The MoHUA, the governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra and JICA are organising a series of seminars and field visits for Project–SMART in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
The deliberations of the Seminars would contribute to the preparation of ‘Station Area Development Plans’ for Sabarmati, Surat, Virar and Thane HSR Stations and model handbook, containing experiences and methodologies adopted in Japan, India and other countries for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Station Area Development.