India’s first bullet train to be ready by August 15, 2027
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday announced that India’s first bullet train will be ready by August 15, 2027. Addressing the media at Rail Bhawan, the minister said the first high-speed train will operate on the Surat–Bilimora stretch. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) is currently executing the country’s first bullet train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
The Railway Minister added that the bullet train corridor will be commissioned in a phased manner. He said the first operational section will be the Surat–Bilimora stretch, followed by Vapi–Surat. After then, the Vapi–Ahmedabad section will be opened, after which services will begin on the Thane–Ahmedabad stretch. The entire Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor will be operational in the final phase, he added.
The 508-km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project will have 12 stations namely – Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.
The total estimated cost of MAHSR project is Rs 1,08,000 crore (approximately). Of these, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding 81% of the project cost i.e. Rs. 88,000 crores.
The Ministry of Railways has targeted to complete entire MAHSR (Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail) project by December 2029. Once operational, it will reduce travel time Mumbai and Ahmedabad to just 2 hours and 7 minutes (127 minutes).
