NEW DELHI: Indian Railways has unveiled the design of the country’s first bullet train, set to run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, displaying an image of the train at the Ministry of Railways in the national capital.Also Read: India’s first ‘swadeshi’ bullet train to roll out by April 2027“A picture of the country’s first proposed bullet train has been displayed at the Ministry of Railways. The picture has been installed at Gate Number 4,” ANI quoted an Indian Railways statement as saying.In February, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha that the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project would pass through Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The route would have 12 stations — Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.For the MAHSR project, foundation work has been completed at eight stations in Gujarat (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati). Work is under way at Thane, Virar, and Boisar in Maharashtra, while excavation at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) station is nearing completion.Seventeen river bridges have been completed, while work is at an advanced stage on four major bridges — Narmada, Mahi, Tapti and Sabarmati — in Gujarat. Construction is also under way on four river bridges in Maharashtra.At BKC, excavation work is about 91% complete, and construction has begun on the under-sea tunnel section, with 4.8 km between Ghansoli and Shilphata already completed.According to Indian Railways, the project would boost indigenous high-speed rail capabilities under the Make in India initiative, with Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, and BEML Limited, Bengaluru, jointly developing train sets with a design speed of 280 kmph.Land acqusition progressAccording to Vaishnaw’s written reply in the Lok Sabha, the entire 1,389.5 hectares of land required for the MAHSR project has been acquired.The minister said land acquisition was carried out in accordance with applicable laws, and affected persons were compensated under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, along with relevant state policies. Rehabilitation and resettlement measures, including additional benefits and solatium, were implemented in coordination with the two state governments.Vaishnaw also stated that the MAHSR corridor has been designed for high-frequency operations with substantial passenger-carrying capacity, while ticket pricing is proposed to remain competitive with existing rail and air travel options.For passenger safety, the project has been designed with support from Japanese Railways, though it has been customised to suit Indian requirements and climatic conditions.
