10 BIG updates on India’s first bullet train run

By mid-2026, 508 km distance between Ahmedabad and Mumbai will be covered in half a time which now takes almost six hours. Wondering how? Japan’s bullet trains will start chugging on the stretch traversing between the two cities at speed of up to 320 kph.

India is expected to finalise a deal with Japan to procure two dozen bullet trains by the end of March.

To recall, in 2015, New Delhi and Tokyo had inked a historic deal to run high-speed bullet trains in India.

The bullet train project is being implemented by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) which has recently shared a video showing progress in the rail project.

The bullet train project is expected to usher in economic growth as well as boost connectivity in commercial cities of Mumbai, Surat and Ahmedabad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address in Rajya Sabha during the interim-Budget 2024 session, had reiterated the aim to run bullet trains in the country in the next 5 years.

1- In March, India is expected sign an agreement with Japan to procure all 24 ‘Shinkansen’ or bullet trains, reported Times of India

2- Indian Railways is “confident” to show a green flag to the India’s first bullet train by June-July 2026 in Gujarat

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3- The NHSRCL will tender all contracts, including those for the procurement of trains and operational systems by August 15 of the ongoing year

4- The bullet train corridor which will run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is expected to be 508 km long and will have ‘limited stop’ and ‘all stop’ services

5- The ‘limited stop’ service will reduce the time to just two hours and ‘all stop’ service will take about 2 hours and 45 minutes

6- Once the train hits speeds of up to 320 kph the time between the two cities, which currently takes around 6 hours, will be reduced significantly

7- Progress of bullet train corridor project: It is faster in Gujarat than in Maharashtra. As per officials, in Gujarat 48.3 per cent work is completed, while in Maharashtra it is slower at about 22.5 per cent

8-  Over the past year, more than 100 km of the viaduct (elevated stretch) has been completed in the corridor, and six river bridges have been built. Out of route’s 20 bridges in Gujarat, seven have been constructed

9-  A ToI report quoted a railway official saying bullet trains in Maharashtra have seen “remarkable progress” in recent months and they are making up for “time lost” because of delayed permissions by the Thackeray-led government

10- The Maharashtra government has instructed all district collectors to complete the handover of land by the end of March 2024