India's first high-speed Bullet Train to hit track by 2026, says Railway Minister - Know key facts

India's first high-speed Bullet Train is all set to hit the railway tracks by 2026, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made the big announcement. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-speed Rail Corridor Project is already in the making. While speaking at a media platform Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that in case of a postponement, the project can go up to 2027 but not beyond that.

National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has collaborated with Japan Railway Track Consultant Company (JRTC) to bring the bullet train to India. However, the Japanese company is waiting for the land acquisition drive to reach completion smoothly.

As per Rail Minister, the corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad requires the acquisition of land, which seems to have stuck in Maharashtra. While Gujarat has absorbed roughly 97% of the total land required, Mumbai is yet to get clearance for some pieces of land.

The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to design the high-speed railway tracks with the assistance of the Japan Railway Track Consultant Company (JRTC).

Bullet Train details

The Bullet Train will run through a distance of 508 kilometres at a speed of 320kmph. It will have 12 stops of 165 seconds each.

The Bullet Train will take two hours and 58 minutes from Ahmedabad to reach Mumbai if it stops at all 12 designated stations.

The 12 stations proposed are Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.

If it stops at four stations - Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Mumbai it will cover the distance in two hours and seven minutes.

So far, around 119 pillars have been cast, and the number is expected to extend for another 50 kilometres in six months.

Indian Railways will run 35 bullet trains when it starts operations, with about 70 trips per day. It will increase to 105 trains by 2050.

The project requires around 825 hectares of land as 92% of the route will be elevated, 6% will go through tunnels and only 2% will be on the ground.

A 21-km-long tunnel will be built on the train between Boisar and Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, of which seven km will be under the sea.

Initially, it will have 10 coaches with a total seating capacity of 750 passengers which will be increased to 16 coaches with a seating capacity of 1,250.

It will have two categories of seats - executive and economy with prices comparable with the base AC 2-tier fare of the Rajdhani Express.