The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Ministry of Railways have signed an MoU with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to launch Project-SMART, aimed at developing the surrounding areas of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Railway (MAHSR) stations. The project aims to enhance accessibility, convenience for commuters, promote economic activities in the vicinity, and improve the institutional capacity of State Governments, Municipal Corporations, and Urban Development Authorities to plan, develop and manage surrounding areas of MAHSR stations. An MoU was signed for four stations – Sabarmati, Surat, Virar and Thane – out of 12 stations in the route. While Sabarmati is a brownfield development, Surat, Virar, and Thane are greenfield.
To prepare ‘Station Area Development Plans’ for these four stations, MoHUA, the Governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, and JICA are organizing a series of seminars and field visits in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. The first seminar was held at Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi, on May 8, 2023. The event saw the participation of officers from the Japan Embassy, JICA HQ, JICA India Office, JICA experts’ team, Ministry of Railways, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited, MoHUA, and TCPO. The deliberations of the seminars will contribute towards developing a model handbook that contains experiences and methodologies adopted in Japan, India, and other countries for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Station Area Development.
