Six bidders on Monday filed expressions of interest, with the Maharashtra government, for appointment as consultants for the mega project. The bidders are: Louis Berger Group in association with Reliance Industries-promoted Urban Infrastructure Development Company, KPMG, Vossing (Germany), TÜV SÜD South Asia, Rohit Gupta & Associates, and Bhobe & Associates.

The consultants will be appointed to carry out a feasibility study and help the state government prepare the bidding document for the project, the cost for which has been varyingly estimated at Rs 8,000-30,000 crore.

A senior state government official said: “The proposed high-speed rail is for 6 routes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including potential maglev lines. The distances for each route would be between 20 km and 50 km. Besides, a passenger-cum-freight railway corridor between Mumbai and Nagpur is also part of the project.”

The consultants would furnish the final cost estimates and submit a feasibility report. The project will be developed on a build-operate-transfer basis. Experts say a maglev train would typically cost Rs 300 crore per km. In China, a maglev train operates on a 30-km line and achieves a top speed of 501 kmph.

In the fast lane

•Proposed high-speed rail is for 6 routes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

•Distances for each route would be between 20 km and 50 km.

•A passenger-cum-freight railway corridor between Mumbai and Nagpur is also part of the project