MUMBAI: Work on the bullet train, one of the Narendra Modi government’s signature projects, appears to be moving at high speed.Civil work on the 508km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor (MAHSR) has been fast-tracked to begin in June this year and railway authorities have advanced the completion deadline to August 15, 2022, from 2023 earlier, to coincide with 75 years of India’s independence.Mr. Modi, please abandon the bullet train ideaAn official of the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd ( NHSRCL ), which is the implementing body, said, “Geo-technical surveys have already been done and civil works will begin in June 2018 after we receive the green signal for the entire corridor.”Tests have also been carried out beneath the sea bed for the underground section of the project, which extends from Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Boisar. Of the 21km underground, almost 7km will be beneath the sea.The project is aimed at reducing travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to roughly two hours from its present eight-hour duration. The corridor which falls within the Western Railway zone extends from BKC to Sabarmati.The official said, “Land acquisition is yet to begin but misinformation is being spread. For example, farmers are worried that soil will be dumped in their fields and it will make their land untillable. Also, some fear that access from one side of the train corridor to the other will be blocked. Maharashtra recently appointed a liaison officer and we hope that misgivings are resolved to the satisfaction of all.”In Maharashtra, land acquisition will be needed most in Palghar district.