HST project is very high capital intensive and its intended benefits like 12% economic rate of return are very much based on assumptions rather than proven facts, especially with reference to India. Even the 500km HST line (MUM-AHM) is costing a humongously whopping amount of Rs 1,00,000 Crore Rs. Since this is the first HST project in India, and the experience of super premium train like Gatiman is not very encouraging, it is better to go full throttle and timely (rather before time) implementation of the MUM-AHM project only.
Prosperous and rapidly developing/expanding city of Surat is a trump card in this project because, this almost mega city is not very well connected by air and does not have adequate rail...
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facilities as well. Surat have capacity to give a high number of passengers to bullet trains for Ahmedabad, its state capital, as well as for Mumbai, the financial capital.
Going for second HST train by selecting a route of GQ, the length of which shall be almost 3-4 times of MUM-AHM shall cost Rs. 3,00,000 Crore to Rs. 5,00,000 Crore, and anything going wrong with this project shall be disastrous for IR as well as Indian Economy.
It is better to have MUM-AHM completed and get firsthand experience of HST route in India, based on which decision may be taken to go for the rest of projects.
Pvt Sector shall be extremely reluctant to fund HST project due to very high costs involved unless given many other concessions/ opportunities to earn revenues are given to them.
Instead of emphasizing HST lines, more efforts are required to get funding tie-ups for the DFCs, so that the 6 routes (sides + diagonals) of the GQ of DFCs are constructed and commissioned within a decade. This will enable IR to operate freight trains at running speed of 100 kmph and at avg speed of 65-75 kmplh on DFCs. And operation of full ac trains express trains upto 160/200kmph and avg speed of 100-140kmph and operation of other trains at 130kmph speed with avg speed of 70-90kmph, on the upgraded routes vacated by freight trains due to DFCs. These increments in operating/avg. speeds of passenger & freight trains in IR network, along with an operational Mum-AHM HST corridor (and more under construction based on the experience/ response of MUM-AHM HST corridor) would present a good enough picture for IR, with reference to speed of trains after a decade from now. The financial risks involved shall be minimised and development/ augmentation and speeds shall be maximised in this plan.