Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the long-awaited Mumbai‑Ahmedabad bullet train will commence service soon, reducing the 508 km journey time to approximately 2 hours 7 minutes. The corridor, designed for speeds of up to 320 km/h, will connect Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex with Gujarat’s Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, Anand, and Ahmedabad.
Vaishnaw spoke virtually from Bhavnagar as he flagged off new express services, including the Ayodhya Express, Rewa–Pune Express, and Jabalpur–Raipur Express. At the event, he hailed the bullet train as a transformative development in national rail modernisation. Significant civil construction progress has been achieved: NHSRCL reports completion of 300 km of viaduct, 383 km of pier foundations, and initiation of the 21 km tunnel section, including a 7 km undersea segment near Thane Creek.
When fully operational, the bullet train is expected to redefine inter-city connectivity, offering limited-stop services (Mumbai–Surat–Vadodara–Ahmedabad) in just over two hours, and full-stop operations in under three hours. In parallel, officials revealed that under the current government, Indian Railways has laid over 34,000 km of new track and is redeveloping approximately 1,300 railway stations — unprecedented in scale according to the minister. In Gujarat, ongoing initiatives include a new Porbandar–Rajkot service, a ₹135 crore coach maintenance facility at Ranavav, a flyover in Porbandar city, cargo terminals under the Gati Shakti plan, and an emerging container terminal in Bhavnagar. Similar upgrades are underway in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, reflecting coordinated progress across regional states.
Industry analysts suggest that the corridor will generate thousands of jobs, significantly lower carbon emissions by shifting travellers from air and road to electric high-speed rail, and spur ancillary economic development along its route. Despite earlier delays—chiefly in Maharashtra—Prime Minister Shah’s government now targets final corridor completion by December 2029, with Gujarat’s segment operational by late 2027. These timelines align with broader objectives for sustainable and equitable mobility.
As India prepares to welcome its first bullet train, the shift represents not merely a reduction in travel time but a symbolic transition toward a modern, eco‑efficient rail ecosystem. With national momentum behind high‑speed corridors, India moves closer to the global railway elite—offering faster, greener, and more inclusive mobility for all.
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