Finance
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will be completed by August 15, 2027, with operations beginning in phases.
He stated that the first segment to become operational will be Surat-Bilimora, followed by Vapi-Surat. This will be followed by the opening of the Vapi-Ahmedabad portion, Thane-Ahmedabad, and finally the entire Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.
“The bullet train will be ready in 2027 August 15th, 2027. The first section to open will be from Surat to Bilimora. After that, Vapi to Surat will open. Then Vapi to Ahmedabad will open, and after that, Thane to Ahmedabad will open, and then Mumbai to Ahmedabad will open,” Vaishnaw said.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project will be 508 kilometres long and capable of operating trains at speeds of up to 320 km per hour. Once the entire corridor is operational, the bullet train is scheduled to make the journey in around 2 hours and 17 minutes.
The rail line, which would connect Sabarmati in Ahmedabad to Mumbai, will be India’s first high-speed rail corridor. The project was initiated in 2017, with an initial deadline of December 2023. However, delays due to land acquisition and other implementation challenges necessitated a change of the timeframe.
Vaishnaw said the inaugural run will now cover a longer stretch than originally planned. “The bullet train, in its inaugural run, will now cover 100 km between Surat and Vapi in August 2027. Earlier, the inaugural run was planned on a 50 km stretch between Surat and Billimora within the same deadline.”
Officials said the phased approach will allow sections of the corridor to open gradually, even as work continues on the remaining stretches of the route.
