New Delhi May 16

Twelve States have expressed interest in the proposed high-speed passenger trains through their territory.

They are Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.

The Railways had sought feedback from States about their willingness to have high-speed passenger trains running through their territory and possible support for the project in the form of land, right of way to build elevated tracks and equity for the proposed project.

The routes being considered for include Mumbai-Surat-Vadodara-Ahmedabad; Jaipur-Delhi-Sonepat-Chandigarh-Ludhiana-Jalandhar-Amritsar; Bangalore-Chennai; and Kolkata-Jamshedpur-Patna.

"These States have permitted the Railways to conduct feasibility studies over the next few months," said the Railway Board Chairman, Mr J.P. Batra, on the sidelines of a seminar on high-speed corridor organised by the Asian Institute of Transport Development and the Railways.

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