India is reportedly planning to procure 16 additional indigenously made bullet trainsets for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, according to an Economic Times report citing a senior official, as preparations advance for the country’s first high-speed rail operations.
The additional trainsets are expected to support phased commissioning of the 508 Km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, which is being implemented by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL). The project is designed for maximum operating speeds of 320 Km/h, reducing travel time between the two cities to about two hours.
According to the ET report, these trains will run on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor.
Earlier in October 2024, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai had awarded defence PSU BEML Limited a contract for the design, manufacturing, and commissioning of two high-speed trainsets, each comprising 8 cars.
In a statement at the time, BEML had said that the price of each car is ₹27.86 Crs and the total contract value is ₹866.87 Crs which includes design cost, one-time development cost, non-recurring charges, one-time cost towards jigs, fixtures, tooling and testing facilities, which will be utilised for all future High-Speed projects in India.
“This project marks a significant milestone in India’s high-speed rail journey and will see the first indigenously designed and manufactured trainsets with a test speed of 280 kmph,” the defence PSU had said.
Being built at BEML’s Bengaluru rail coach complex, the trainsets are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026.
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The bullet train corridor will be commissioned in phases, with the Surat-Bilimora section in Gujarat targeted for the first operations in August 2027. This stretch has seen faster civil construction progress compared to other sections.
Subsequent phases will extend operations toward Ahmedabad and Maharashtra, with the entire Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor targeted for full commissioning by 2029.
The 508 Km MAHSR corridor spans 352 Km in Gujarat (348 Km) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (4 Km), and 156 Km in Maharashtra.
The corridor will pass through Gujarat, the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Maharashtra with 12 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, 426 Km foundation works, 417 Km pier works, 351 Km girder casting and 334 Km girder launching have been completed for the project.
According to the data shared by the minister, construction progress has been particularly strong in Gujarat, where foundation and pier works have each been completed over 352 Km, while girder casting has reached 342 Km and girder launching 331 Km.
Track bed construction has advanced to 152 Km, and Overhead Equipment (OHE) mast erection has covered 121 Km.
Earlier delays linked to land acquisition in Maharashtra affected the project timeline until 2021, but the process gathered pace in 2022 and the entire land required for the project was acquired.
In Maharashtra, foundation work has reached 74 Km and pier construction 65 Km. Girder casting stands at 9 Km, while launching has progressed to 3 Km, reflecting the comparatively later start of major civil works in the state.
Out of the total 12 stations planned on the corridor, foundation work has already been completed at eight locations – Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati, all of them located in Gujarat.
In Maharashtra, foundation work is underway at Thane, Virar, and Boisar, while excavation at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) station is nearing completion and casting of the base slab has begun.
Bridge construction has emerged as another major milestone.
Seventeen river bridges have already been completed for the project.
Work is in an advanced stage on four major river bridges – Narmada, Mahi, Tapti, and Sabarmati – in Gujarat, while construction is progressing on four river bridges in Maharashtra.
Depot works at Thane, Surat, and Sabarmati are also in full swing.
Civil works at the underground BKC station are progressing satisfactorily. Excavation has achieved about 91 per cent progress, and concreting is underway at multiple levels, including full completion of the basement slab at Level-4.
Meanwhile, work on the approximately 21 Km under-sea tunnel in Maharashtra section has commenced, with 4.8 Km between Ghansoli and Shilphata already completed.
The project is expected to significantly strengthen India’s domestic manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise in high-speed rail systems.
Experience gained in track construction, advanced signalling, rolling stock manufacturing and maintenance, and project management is projected to create a strong foundation for future high-speed rail corridors across the country.
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