New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): The Indian Railways on Saturday said that the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project, popularly known as the 'Bullet Train' project, was progressing well, but the real timeframe for the completion of the project can be gauged within the next three to six months when the status of land acquisition will be ascertained.

Addressing a virtual press conference, Railways CEO V.K. Yadav said, "While 82 per cent of the land has been acquired in Gujarat, in Maharashtra land acquisition is only at 23 per cent." He said that in a linear project like the bullet train, work can only begin when a certain amount of land is available.

"We are hoping that within the next three to six months, we will be able to get to that point. Our designs are ready and we are set to go. It is true that the tenders and land acquisition was delayed a bit due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but I can say that the project is progressing well," Yadav said.

He asserted that as the Covid-19 situation improves, the Railways will be able to start the bidding process within the next three to six months.

He said, "We will be able to get the status of land acquired and then we will be able to provide a real timeframe for the completion of the project."