NEW DELHI: India’s first bullet train is set to begin operations on the initial 50-km stretch of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor by 2027, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday. He was speaking at a tunnel breakthrough site in Mumbai.
The initial operational section will run between Surat and Billimora. It is expected to extend to Thane by 2028 and Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) by 2029. The bullet trains will operate at an interval of 30 minutes and once the operational framework is established, the frequency will be increased to every 20 minutes.
“After the necessary infrastructure is in place, the bullet trains will operate every 10 minutes. It is expected to cover the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route in 2 hours and 7 minutes ,” the minister announced, adding that the fare structure of the bullet trains will be affordable to everyone.
He also said that the bullet train loco pilots and maintenance staff are currently undergoing comprehensive hands-on training in Japan. “Loco pilots are being trained on advanced simulators to uphold the highest standards of safety and efficiency,” Vaishnaw told the media. He called the tunnel breakthrough a “landmark achievement.”
Sharing updates on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, Vaishnaw noted that viaduct construction of over 320 km has been completed, with work progressing rapidly on the remaining sections.
“The bullet train brought a sea change in the economy of areas between Osaka and Tokyo after the first bullet train was introduced in Japan, and the same kind of economic development will be seen along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route,” he asserted.
“Similarly, this project will unite Anand, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Vapi and Mumbai into a single economic corridor creating a unified markets and accelerate industrial growth along this corridor,” he claimed.
He said that the bullet train’s fare structure will be affordable and aligned with the aspirations of the middle class. He also confirmed that new stations and bridges are also being constructed.
Outlining the technological highlights of the project, the minister said, “The use of single tunnel technology to accommodate two bullet trains and the deployment of 40-metre girders in viaduct construction represent significant technical achievements.”
He added that India has acquired substantial technical expertise through this project by working closely with Japanese experts. Discussions have already been held to introduce at least 10 E10 Shinkansen trains, Japan’s next-generation bullet train, in India. The tunnel will be a single-tube structure with a 13.1-metre diameter, designed to accommodate dual rail tracks for up and down bullet train.
Project Progress
508-km bullet train corridor between Mumbai & Ahmedabad
12 stations between Mumbai and Ahmedabad
Train speed at 320km/hr; total distance will be covered in 2 hours and 7 minutes
10 trains to be introduced, discussions with Japan held
Trains will run in every 30 minutes during peak hours, and thereafter in every 20 minutes
Loco-pilots and maintenance staff being trained in Japan
Loco-pilots and maintenance staff being trained in Japan
17 river, 9 steel bridges done
7-km-long under sea tunnel
206-km track bed built
4 lakh noise barriers installed
Excavation work on mountain tunnels in Palghar continues
