NEW DELHI: Although it may take nearly another year before India’s first bullet train makes its inaugural journey, the Railways has unveiled an image of the train for the public at Rail Bhawan in New Delhi.
Displayed at Gate No. 4 of Rail Bhawan, the image suggests that the country’s first bullet train will feature a saffron-coloured roof with black and saffron stripes running along the body.
The design of the train, as shown in the display, includes a sleek aerodynamic nose and front lights shaped like eyes, giving it a futuristic appearance.
India’s first bullet train is tentatively expected to begin operations on August 15, 2027, along the 508-km Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.
According to railway sources, the initial service is likely to operate on a 100-km stretch in Gujarat between Surat and Vapi, while the remaining sections of the corridor are expected to become operational by 2029.
The high-speed corridor will include 12 stations between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, with the journey expected to take around 2 hours and 17 minutes, including halts.
On Monday, the Ministry of Railways stated in a post, “Advancing work on the nation’s first bullet train project, the first 350-tonne TBM cutterhead was lowered at Vikhroli in Maharashtra for the project.”
The ministry further said in the same post, “Two 3,000-tonne Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will construct a 16-km tunnel section in Mumbai, including India’s first undersea rail tunnel beneath Thane Creek. The other TBM is located at Ghansoli.”