The first trial run of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project will begin in 2026 between Surat and Bilimora in South Gujarat. The high-speed rail corridor, PM Modi’s pet project, which spans 508-km between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, has 92% of its alignment constructed as an elevated track.
Of the 12 stations on the corridor, eight are in Gujarat — Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora and Vapi — while four are in Maharashtra.
The full stretch is expected to be completed in 2028 — six years past its original deadline.
The construction of the viaduct has been completed on a 212-km section out of the total 352-km stretch in Gujarat. At the same time, the foundation work for all eight stations in Gujarat has been completed.
The Surat-Bilimora stretch, spanning nearly 50km, is being treated as a priority stretch by the NHSRCL. Construction at Surat and Bilimora is in an advanced stage.
The design of the bullet train station in Vadodara is inspired by the foliage of a banyan tree, owing to the copious amount of banyan (Vad) trees found in the city.
The station is being constructed above platform number seven of Vadodara railway station of the Indian Railways, near Pandya bridge, over 16,467 sq m.
The elevated high-speed rail corridor will cross five railway overbridges (ROBs) and three railway underbridges (RUBs). These include Vishwamitri ROB, Akota ROB, Pandya bridge ROB, Chhani ROB, Jetalpur ROB, Alkapuri RUB, Jetalpur RUB and Priyadarshini RUB.
Of these, work on three flyovers has been completed while work on the remaining two will be completed soon.
The bullet train corridor will have trains running at speeds between 220 kmph and 320 kmph. It will connect Mumbai with Ahmedabad in 2.07 hours to 2.58 hours, depending on the type of train passengers take.
In 2022, the Centre had told Parliament that seven corridors were currently under consideration — Delhi-Varanasi (813 km), Delhi-Ahmedabad (878 km), Mumbai-Nagpur (765 km), Mumbai-Hyderabad (671 km), Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru (435 km), Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar (459 km), and Varanasi-Howrah (760 km).
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