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Mumbai: India is set to witness its first bullet train by August 2027, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has confirmed. Speaking at the Jefferies India Forum 2025, he said the high-speed rail project is progressing rapidly, with construction nearly complete on bridges and rivers.
Highlighting the advanced engineering skills used in the project, Vaishnaw explained that an entire 1,100-tonne structure has been lifted and placed on pillars in a single operation, using a technology that was developed within India. “This corridor has been built with great safety, without disturbing traffic, and sets a benchmark for the world,” he said.
Vaishnaw said gthat Japanese engineers, who are known for their Shinkansen expertise, have expressed interest in adopting some of the methods pioneered in India. He added that the government has set a target of laying 7,000 kilometres of high-speed railway lines nationwide.
The 12 stations planned for the corridor are Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane and Mumbai. The minister reaffirmed that the first operational corridor will be ready by August 2027, marking a new era of modern rail travel in India.
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project, covering 508 kilometres, is now moving towards a major milestone—the final breakthrough of a 4.9 km tunnel built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). Unlike machine-driven boring, NATM uses surrounding ground as natural support, with sprayed concrete stabilising the tunnel walls. The tunnel forms part of a 21 km stretch from Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra section covers 156 km, including 135 km of elevated track and seven mountain tunnels. Work is advancing on viaducts, stations and river bridges. In Palghar, 48 km of piers have been cast and girder launching has begun. Excavation at BKC station has reached 83 per cent, with deep base slab casting in progress.
