Bullet Train Project Hits 80% Completion in Gujarat; Operations to Start in 2027: Ashwini Vaishnaw

India's first bullet train will open for its inaugural run in 2027, kickstarting a phased rollout that will fully connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad by 2029.

Speaking to reporters in Gujarat's Sanand, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the work is in progress at a very fast progress and the first section from Surat to Bilimora will be operational next year, followed by the Vapi to Surat section.

He added, "After that, the Vapi to Ahmedabad section will be completed. Then Ahmedabad to Thane and finally Ahmedabad to Mumbai sections will be taken up. In this way, the project will be completed section by section and phase by phase by 2029. Around 80 per cent of the work in the Gujarat region has already been completed"

Vaishnaw noted that building inside dense city centers presents massive engineering challenges, requiring the high-speed lines to navigate double crossings over existing railway tracks and busy urban flyovers.

He added, "The metro, railway, and high-speed rail stations are all being established at one location. We have undertaken a mission to ensure seamless integration of all three so that passengers can easily transfer from the metro to the railway, the railway to the bullet train, or the bullet train to the metro. I have come here today to review these integration arrangements, and the planning has been carried out very well. Passengers arriving from the metro can access the Indian Railways station on the first floor, while the second floor connects to the bullet train station..."

Meanwhile, the momentum is shifting toward the Maharashtra side of the corridor. Minister Vaishnaw is scheduled to inaugurate the underground tunnel-boring work stretching from Vikhroli to the Bandra Kurla Complex station in Mumbai. This marks the very first time a Tunnel Boring Machine will be deployed for the high-speed rail project.

The underground undertaking is an immense feat of engineering managed by Afcons Infrastructure Limited. It requires digging a 20.37-kilometer tunnel at a depth of roughly 65 meters below ground level, a stretch that features a historic 7-kilometer segment running directly under the sea. The heavy lifting will be done by two customized, German-made boring machines that were shipped via sea from China earlier this year, officially pushing the Mumbai end of the project into high gear.

On the other hand, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will inaugurate the underground tunnel-boring work from Vikhroli to the Bandra Kurla Complex station in Mumbai on Sunday, marking the maiden use of a tunnel boring machine for the country's first bullet train project, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Imported via the sea route from China in March 2026, the two customised German-made tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are owned by Afcons Infrastructure Limited, which is constructing a 20.37-km tunnel, including a 7-km undersea stretch. The tunnel will be built at a depth of about 65 metres below ground level.

Imported via the sea route from China in March 2026, the two customised German-made tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are owned by Afcons Infrastructure Limited, which is constructing a 20.37-km tunnel, including a 7-km undersea stretch. The tunnel will be built at a depth of about 65 metres below ground level, PTI reported.

With inputs from agencies