Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw On Bullet Train : Indian Railways is working on war footing to run the country’s first bullet train. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has given a good news to the people waiting for the country’s first bullet train. The probable date for the start of the bullet train running on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor has come out. According to the Railway Minister, the country is likely to be gifted with the first bullet train around August 15, 2027. However, this train will not be launched simultaneously on the entire route, but in phases.
First of all, at which station will the bullet train run?
The Railway Minister clarified that initially the bullet train will be run between Surat and Bilimora. After this, in the second phase, the high speed train will run from Vapi to Surat, then from Vapi to Ahmedabad and then from Thane to Ahmedabad. In the final phase, bullet trains will run regularly on the entire 508 km corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. This phased model will enable better testing of technology testing, safety standards and passenger amenities.
The Railway Minister also informed that now at the time of inauguration the bullet train will run on a longer duration than the earlier plan. Earlier in August 2027, only the Surat-Bilimora (50 km) section was planned to run, but now there are plans to run the train on a section of about 100 km between Surat-Vapi. This will greatly benefit the passengers in the early stages.
Stations, depots and cause of delay
A total of 12 stations are being constructed in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Sabarmati in Ahmedabad and BKC in Mumbai will be terminal stations. Apart from this, three depots are being prepared. The railway minister said that normally two depots are sufficient for the 508 km corridor, but the project was delayed due to lack of permissions and approvals for a long time in Maharashtra. Because of this delay, a third depot was needed as an additional arrangement.
How fast will the journey be?
This high speed rail corridor is designed for a speed of 320 km per hour. Once the entire corridor is operational, the bullet train will complete the journey from Mumbai to Ahmedabad in around 2 hours and 17 minutes. Along with high speed, it will have sophisticated safety systems, comfortable coaches and world class facilities.
Starting from 2017, now looking at 2027
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project was launched in 2017 and was earlier targeted for completion by December 2023. But due to land acquisition and other implementation hurdles, the deadline was pushed forward. Now after the recent statement of the Railway Minister, it is clear that 2027 will be the year when India will enter the world of bullet trains for the first time.
Now the only question is whether the country will be able to see the gift of high-speed travel on August 15, 2027 or not. Now, the Railway Minister’s hints have brought this dream closer than ever.