A Parliamentary Standing Committee has sought details from the Railway Ministry on its efforts to enhance domestic capabilities to manufacture bullet train components, as well as on skilling programmes being conducted with the help of international expertise.
In its 10th report, tabled in Parliament on August 10, 2026, the Standing Committee on Railways also asked the ministry to study successful high-speed rail networks in other countries to develop a better understanding of their operations and practices for the seven future high-speed rail corridors announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.
The committee, which had made 17 recommendations in its 8th report on 'Demand for Grants (2026-27)', has dealt with the action taken by the government on those recommendations in its 10th report.
The 8th report was presented to Parliament on March 10, 2026.
One of the recommendations concerned the construction of the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train Project, which is currently underway. The ministry has announced that its first phase, from Surat to Vapi, will commence in August 2027.
The ministry had earlier informed the Committee that, since detailed information regarding the manufacturing of Japan-made E10 series Shinkansen bullet trains is not available, it has started developing indigenous Bharat-made bullet trains, designated B28, with a design speed of 280 kmph.
The committee, in its 10th report, appreciated the decision of the Railway Ministry to start operations using the B28 (Bharat-made bullet trainset) on the Surat-Vapi (97-km) section in August 2027.
"However, the Committee may be apprised of the efforts being made to accelerate indigenisation of high-speed rail components as also capacity-building efforts being undertaken through expansion of training programmes at the High-Speed Rail Training Institute, Vadodara, by leveraging international expertise," the 10th report said.
"The Committee reiterate the Railways to undertake a comprehensive study of successful high-speed rail networks in countries where such systems are operating efficiently," it added.
The committee also sought to be apprised of "the efforts being undertaken for such study for its future High-Speed Rail (HSR) corridors as announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.
The seven new corridors announced by the government in the Union Budget are Mumbai-Pune, Pune-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Chennai, Chennai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Varanasi, and Varanasi-Siliguri.
The ministry informed the committee that, out of these seven corridors, updates to the cost, alignment and other details in the DPRs for four corridors are underway, while DPRs for the remaining three corridors are under preparation.
Regarding the ministry's Amrit Bharat Redevelopment Scheme, under which 172 stations have been redeveloped and 1072 stations are at different stages, the Committee suggested the Ministry to "develop a station performance assessment framework for all redeveloped stations".
According to the committee, this framework should incorporate measurable indicators such as passenger footfall, utilisation of passenger amenities, accessibility for persons with disabilities, cleanliness standards, commercial space occupancy, maintenance and passenger feedback.
"The Committee urge the Ministry that assessment emerging from stations where redevelopment has been completed be systematically documented and disseminated as standard practices for ongoing and future projects," the report said.
"The Committee also emphasise the need to strengthen integration of redeveloped stations with local transport systems and city infrastructure through regular coordination with state governments and local bodies so that the optimum benefits of station redevelopment are realized in terms of seamless passenger mobility, improved connectivity and enhanced commercial potential," it added.
The committee also observed the ministry's Gati Shakti Multi Modal Cargo (GCT) terminal policy issued in December, 2021 and subsequently revised in December, 2022 and January, 2026.
The policy provides a framework for development of rail freight terminals equipped with modern facilities including mechanised handling.
The committee asked the Railways to consider development of a digital performance dashboard covering all operational GCTs and CRFs (Cargo Related Facilities), incorporating measurable indicators such as terminal capacity utilization, rake turnaround time, rake availability, degree of mechanization, connectivity with industrial clusters, ports and major road corridors, safety compliance and customer satisfaction.
(With inputs from PTI)
