508 km in just 2 hours! India’s first bullet train to run on THIS route, will be inaugurated in…, top speed will be…

The route is part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed ​​Rail Corridor, India's first high-speed rail corridor, being constructed between Sabarmati (Ahmedabad) and Mumbai. The bullet train, India's first, will operate on this corridor.

Bullet Train in India: India’s first bullet train on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed ​​Rail Corridor (MAHSR) will cut the travel time between two of the most important industrial centres in India to just two hours, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said, adding that the inaugural run of the ambitious high-speed rail project will now cover a 100 km distance between Surat and Vapi in Gujarat

When will the bullet train be operational?

Talking to reporters at the Rail Bhawan in New Delhi, Vaishnaw said the inaugural run was initially planned on a 50 km stretch Surat and Billimora, but has been extended to cover 100 km between Surat and Vapi. The inaugural will take place in August 2027, the minister informed.

The route is part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed ​​Rail Corridor, India’s first high-speed rail corridor, being constructed between Sabarmati (Ahmedabad) and Mumbai. The bullet train, India’s first, will operate on this corridor at a speed of 320 kmph, covering the 508-km distance between the two vital industrial cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai in just 2 hours, Vaishnaw said.

“The bullet train will cover the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in 1 hour 58 minutes while stopping at four stations. However, if it stops at all 12 stations, the entire distance will be covered in 2 hours and 17 minutes,” he added.

The bullet train project was started in 2017 and was initially scheduled for completion by December. However, land acquisition and other issues delayed the ambitious project.

Asked when the project will become fully operational, Ashwini Vaishnaw said the entire project will be operational by the end of 2029, noting the biggest challenge of the complex project was its design.

What is the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project?

The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR) aka Mumbai–Ahmedabad HSR is an under-construction high-speed rail corridor, which will connect Mumbai, Maharashtra, with Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest city. The MAHSR will be India’s first high-speed rail line, with a top speed of 320 km per hour (200 mph).

The high-speed rail line, which is being developed by National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, the Ministry of Railways and the Government of India, will use Shinkansen technology from Japan, including rolling stock, signalling and design standards – with technology transfer to support the Make in India programme, according to officials.

Once completed, the bullet train will usher in a new era of fast and efficient travel in India. The MAHSR will connect 12 stations, including major cities and towns in Maharashtra and Gujarat, like Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad, covering a distance of 508 kilometers.