India’s first bullet train service between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will begin operations soon , Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday, while reviewing railway developments in Gujarat. The announcement comes amid accelerated construction activity on the 508-kilometre Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor.
Speaking at Bhavnagar terminus, where he virtually flagged off three new trains—the Ayodhya Express, Rewa–Pune Express, and Jabalpur–Raipur Express—Vaishnaw confirmed that the bullet train will operate at a top speed of 320 km per hour. The journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is expected to take two hours and seven minutes.
High-Speed Corridor and funding
The MAHSR project is being developed with Japanese collaboration and is funded largely through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Of the total estimated cost of ₹1,08,000 crore, JICA is providing funding support of approximately ₹88,000 crore, covering nearly 81 per cent of the project cost.
The corridor will have 12 stations: Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati. The line will originate from Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai and terminate at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad.
Trial runs are expected to begin on the Gujarat section of the corridor before full commissioning.
Expansion in Gujarat and other states
The Railway Minister also outlined several upcoming projects in Gujarat, including a new train service between Porbandar and Rajkot, a ₹135-crore coach maintenance facility at Ranavav, a railway flyover in Porbandar, two Gati Shakti cargo terminals, and a container terminal linked to a developing port in Bhavnagar.
Similar projects have been initiated in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where, according to Vaishnaw, the presence of aligned state and central governments has enabled faster implementation.
“In the last 11 years, 34,000 km of new railway tracks have been laid. On average, 12 km of track is being added daily,” he said.
He added that 1,300 railway stations across the country are undergoing redevelopment. “Unlike developed countries where stations are closed during upgrades, here the work continues while trains run and services are maintained,” Vaishnaw noted.
New train services
Vaishnaw also spoke about trains introduced during the current government’s tenure, including the Vande Bharat Express, Amrit Bharat Express, and Namo Bharat.
“Eight Amrit Bharat trains have been launched so far. These trains include features similar to the Vande Bharat, but at lower fares. They have been developed using new technology,” he said.
Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Nimuben Bambhaniya were also present at the Bhavnagar event.
