Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train To Launch Operations In Gujarat By 2027

The highly anticipated Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, a flagship initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is set to commence operations in Gujarat by the end of 2027, with subsequent expansion into Maharashtra, according to the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).

The initial phase of operations is expected to be in full swing ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, slated for December 2027.

Trial runs on the stretch between Surat and Bilimora are projected to begin in 2026. “Given the advanced stage of construction in Gujarat, it makes sense to start commercial services here first before extending them to Maharashtra,” an NHSRCL spokesperson stated.

As of May 2024, the overall project progress stands at 44 per cent, with Gujarat’s work completion at 53 per cent and Maharashtra’s at 25.6 per cent. The completed viaduct stretches 183 kilometres, and pier work covers 313 kilometers.

Land acquisition for the rail corridor, involving 1,390 hectares, has been finalised, with 960 hectares in Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and 430 hectares in Maharashtra.

Track laying has commenced in Gujarat, utilising over 35,000 metric tonnes of rails and advanced track construction machinery located in Surat and Vadodara. Assembly, testing, and commissioning of this machinery are ongoing, reports The Hindu.

Funded through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project’s total cost is estimated at Rs 1.08 lakh crore. The latest financial tranche was signed in December 2023, amounting to 400 billion Japanese yen (approximately Rs 22,627 crore).

India’s First Bullet Train Project

The high-speed rail operating at 320 kmph will traverse the 508.17 km distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just about two hours.

It will cover 155.76 km in Maharashtra, 4.3 km in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 348.04 km in Gujarat, with 12 stations en route. There are eight stations in Gujarat (Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, and Vapi) and four in Maharashtra (Boisar, Virar, Thane, and Mumbai).

NHSRCL plans to operationalise the section between Vadodara and Vapi by 2027, aiming for complete project delivery by the second half of 2028.

India’s First Undersea Tunnel

The MAHSR corridor will run through a seven-kilometre undersea tunnel which will be India's first undersea tunnel and the country's longest rail transport corridor, with a single tube measuring 13.2 metres in diameter.

Widely considered a key project highlight, the 21 km tunnel will be constructed at Thane Creek between underground stations at Bandra-Kurla Complex and Shilphata in Maharashtra, which are around 35 kilometres apart.

This tunnel will be about 25-65 metres deep from the ground level and the deepest construction point will be 114 metres below the Parsik Hill near Shilphata.

In September 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone for the high-speed rail project at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad.