The construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train’s origin station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) is advancing at high speed, with the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirming major progress in underground structural work during a site inspection on Saturday.
Accompanied by officials from the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) and zonal railway representatives, Vaishnaw reviewed the underground site, which will anchor India’s first high-speed rail corridor. The bullet train station, located in one of Mumbai’s key business districts, is designed as a multi-level underground facility with both operational and passenger-centric features. “The B3 basement level and wall reinforcements are complete. Tunnel construction is progressing rapidly. The work at BKC is moving very fast,” said the minister. He added that with land acquisition hurdles now cleared, the entire Maharashtra segment of the corridor—from BKC to Shil Phata—is showing swift execution on all fronts. Designed as a world-class infrastructure hub, the station will feature three basement levels. B3 will be used for train parking, B2 for operations, and B1 along with the ground level will cater to passengers. NHSRCL officials reported that over 76 percent of excavation work at the BKC site is already completed.
The BKC terminal will serve as the origin point for the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail line, estimated to cost ₹1.08 lakh crore. The project is being implemented through a tripartite funding model: ₹10,000 crore from the central government, ₹5,000 crore each from Maharashtra and Gujarat, and the remainder financed by a soft loan from Japan at a 0.1% interest rate. After the BKC visit, the minister travelled to Pune to flag off two new long-distance train services.
Last week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the bullet train will likely become operational by 2028, marking a milestone in India’s transport infrastructure ambitions. The corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, catalysing economic growth along its route.
