Construction work is underway at the Bandra Kurla Complex Station, a key component of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (HSR) corridor, in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) will initially operate the bullet train only in Gujarat and it will be extended to Mumbai at a later date. It was first conceived as a Mumbai–Ahmedabad train when launched by Prime Minister Modi.
The first phase of commercial operations is likely to begin a few months before the Gujarat State elections due to be held towards the end of 2027. The Gujarat government’s term expires on December 19, 2027.
“Trial runs are expected to start in 2026 between Surat and Bilimora (a stretch of about 50 km). Since the project is at an advanced stage in Gujarat, it is prudent to start commercial operations in Gujarat first and then expand services to Maharashtra as the construction work completes there,” an NHSRCL spokesperson told The Hindu.
Sources said that to begin with, the bullet train will operate commercially between Vadodara and Vapi by 2027.
44% progress
Until May 2024, 44% of the physical progress had been made. In Gujarat, this stands at 53% and 25.6% in Maharashtra. As of June, 183 km of viaduct and 313 km of pier work of the 508 km route have been completed. Out of 1,390 hectares earmarked for the project, 960 hectares are in Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and 430 hectares in Maharashtra.
Track laying work has commenced in Gujarat. Over 35,000 metric tonnes of rails and three sets of track construction machinery are at Surat and Vadodara. Presently, assembly, testing and commissioning of the track machinery is in progress.
In Maharashtra, crucial civil works continue. Construction of India’s first undersea rail tunnel, a 7 km engineering work, is underway. It commenced in June 2023 and is expected to be completed in mid-2028. This undersea tunnel is part of the 21 km long tunnel between Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex and Shilphata. Excavation to create five mountain tunnels in Palghar is also underway.
Of the 508km corridor, 90% of the alignment is elevated. A total of 12 stations will dot the entire corridor, eight of them in Gujarat (namely, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora and Vapi), and the remainder are in Maharashtra (Boisar, Virar, Thane and Mumbai).
Three-hour ride
The NHSRCL aims to complete the entire project by the second half of 2028. This train will travel between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in three hours. Currently, the fastest train, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat takes five-and-a-half hours. Excluding waiting time at the airport and security check, air travel takes about 95 minutes.
The project was launched in 2017 with an initial deadline of December 2023. The completion timeline had to be revised owing to land acquisition challenges in Maharashtra and the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan, the project’s cost is estimated at ₹1,08,000 crore and is yet to be revised owing to the delay in completion.
The last tranche or the fifth tranche for the project was signed between JICA and the Government of India in December 2023 with an ODA of 400 billion Japanese Yen or approximately ₹22,627 crore.
