India's first bullet train to start its operations in 2026, says Railway Minister

At the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that by 2026 the operations of India's first bullet train will commence. Vaishnaw announced that the inaugural bullet train service is scheduled to operate between Surat and Bilimora.

"We plan to run the first bullet train between Surat and Bilimora in 2026,” Vaishnaw said at the 2024 Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

He also provided an update on the progress of the project. He highlighted that 270 km of groundwork for the bullet train has already been completed. He stressed upon the successful installation of a 270 km long wire duct and assured that the project is proceeding according to the designated timeline.

"270-km-long wire duct has been put in place. Work is going on as per schedule. The work of the Mumbai-Thane under-sea tunnel has also begun. The construction of bridges on eight rivers that will lie on the route is going on rapidly. Two bridges have already been completed. The work on Sabarmati terminal station is also nearly completed," Vaishnaw added.  

In September 2017, the foundation stone of the project was laid in Ahmedabad, the project aims to cover a distance of 500 Km in almost two hours. Implementing Japan's Shinkansen technology, the high-speed rail line aspires to establish an efficient and high-frequency mass transportation system.