India has spent decades talking about high-speed rail with the energy of a family WhatsApp group planning a reunion that never happens. Now, suddenly, the country’s first bullet train has a face, a form and, finally, a sense of inevitability.
The first look of India’s bullet train was unveiled this week at Rail Bhawan in New Delhi. The train, which will run on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor, features the familiar pointed nose and streamlined body seen in Japan’s Shinkansen trains. Designed to travel at speeds of up to 320 kmph, it marks India’s first major step into high-speed rail travel.
The 508-km High-Speed Rail Corridor connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad is India's first bullet train project and among the country's largest infrastructure efforts. Once it starts functioning, the train is expected to cut travel time between the two cities to around two hours, compared to the current six to seven hours by train.
The project is being developed with extensive Japanese collaboration, both technologically and financially. The trains are based on the E5 Series Shinkansen system used in Japan, globally recognised for speed, safety and punctuality so precise it can make Indian railway announcements sound fictional.
Progress on the bullet train corridor has accelerated in the past year, particularly in Gujarat, where numerous sections of the elevated track have already been constructed. Work is also progressing on stations, bridges, and tunnels, including the highly talked-about undersea tunnel close to Thane Creek — a first for a railway project in India.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the first stretch of the bullet train project is expected to open by August 15, 2027, starting with sections in Gujarat before the full Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor becomes operational.
The country’s railway story may finally be entering its high-speed chapter. And for once, the future appears to be arriving on time.
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