First stage of Delhi-Mumbai expressway opens, travel time between the 2 cities set to halve
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Once fully completed, the expressway will halve travel time between the two cities to 12 hours.
PHOTO: AFP
NEW DELHI – India has opened the first stage of an expressway linking its capital New Delhi to its financial centre of Mumbai.
The new eight-lane carriageway – with four lanes in each direction – is 1,386km long.
Once completed, the expressway will cut travel time between the two cities to 12 hours, halving the amount of time needed for the journey by road now.
On Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the expressway’s 246km first stage.
It links New Delhi with the city of Jaipur, a popular tourist destination and the capital of the north-western state of Rajasthan.
Mr Modi said it was a “sign of developing India”, adding that “such investments in railways, highways, subway lines and airports are a key to pushing the country’s growth rate, attracting more investments and creating fresh jobs”.
The entire expressway will cost US$13 billion (S$17.3 billion). It is part of an infrastructure push for India to catch up with its geopolitical rival, China.
India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy. But its infrastructure remains far behind that of China’s.
New Delhi is also trying to decouple itself from Beijing’s supply chains and build up its economic capacity, especially after a deadly military clash on their Himalayan frontier in 2020.
To this end, India has accelerated many key projects.
In February, Mr Modi’s government announced an unprecedented 33 per cent rise in infrastructure spending. He is also expected to open at least a dozen major railways, highways and port projects in the coming months.
‘Geopolitical sweet spot’
India has one of the world’s largest rail networks, but it is badly outdated. It needs huge investments in both track and rolling stock, with the authorities seeking to tap capital for these projects.
Beijing has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into infrastructure over many years, and China now boasts an extensive motorway system, gleaming airports and, by far, the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
Professor Harsh V. Pant of King’s College London told AFP that with China “losing some of its lustre”, policymakers in India feel their country “is in a geopolitical and geoeconomic sweet spot which needs to be leveraged with higher infrastructure investments to make it an even more lucrative and attractive economy”.
He added: “China’s economic growth and infrastructure development started a few decades before (India’s) so there is still a lot that it needs to do in terms of matching up to China.” AFP
