At present, the 660-km-long distance between Pune and Ahmedabad is covered by an overnight journey. The proposed train, expected to run at 300 km per hour on a dedicated fast track, will cut the travel time between the two cities by nearly half.

A consultant will be appointed to carry out the study on the proposed corridor, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

He said the study will focus on technicalities, financial and operational viability of the project. Countries like France, Germany, Japan and China have shown interest in the project, he added.

He further said that the cost of the pre-feasibility study will be shared by Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Railways Ministry.

According to the official, the pre-feasibility study will be followed by a more detailed study focusing on traffic pattern, funding plan, stakeholders' view, fare structure and other related issues before beginning the work.

The Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad section is the second proposed route for which the railways would invite tenders for the study.

Three months ago, tenders were invited for the Delhi-Amritsar route, which saw the participation of many global players. Consultants from France, Belgium and Germany were short-listed, and a final decision on selection of the consultant will be taken shortly.

Besides Pune-Ahmedabad and the Delhi-Amritsar routes, the Railways have decided to conduct pre-feasibility studies on the three more routes— Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulum and Howrah-Haldia.

The official said that states like Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala and West Bengal have agreed to part-fund the project.