India’s first bullet train is set to begin trial runs by May or June 2027, with commercial operations expected to follow by the end of the same year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced.
Speaking at the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ event in Vadodara on Tuesday, Vaishnaw said the train’s first body frame had recently been completed and sent for a squeeze test a key structural check before rollout. “By May or June of next year, India’s own bullet train will be on the tracks for testing. After a testing period of 2-4 months, the bullet train will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister himself,” he said.
The minister described the project as a reflection of the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. He also flagged the drastic cut in travel time the train will bring to the Vadodara-Mumbai route. “When you ride the bullet train from Vadodara, you will reach Mumbai in just an hour and a half,” Vaishnaw said.
India formally launched the bullet train project in September 2017, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor in Ahmedabad.
Construction Gathers Pace
Vaishnaw said construction on the high-speed corridor was progressing swiftly, with work on the Surat-Vapi stretch expected to be completed by December this year.
The minister also touched on the broader modernisation drive underway across Indian Railways, spanning operating systems, reservation platforms and construction practices. “We are reforming and modernising everything — from operating systems and reservation systems to old construction protocols,” he said. He added that new wagon designs are being developed for freight operations, including a dedicated design for transporting salt.
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Key Railway Milestones
Vaishnaw listed several long-delayed railway projects that have now been completed, singling out the Chenab Bridge and the rail link connecting Mizoram to the national network. He said 280 railway stations have been redeveloped and 36,000 km of new track laid across the country. Cargo trains built on Vande Bharat technology, he added, are also nearing completion.
The minister noted that railway development had picked up pace despite setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing out that the first section of the bullet train project was completed in 2020, after which work on the remaining stretches accelerated. “The modern face of Indian Railways that is emerging will benefit many future generations,” Vaishnaw said.