India's First Bullet Train Set to Revolutionize Travel by 2028

Image Source: Business Standard

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made the announcement that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, a $15 billion Japan collaboration, would be in operation by 2028. The high-speed corridor will reduce journey time between the two cities to less than three hours from the current 6–8 hours.

Key Highlights:

Speed & Route: The trains will travel at 320 km/h over a 508-km stretch, with 12 stations on the route, including Mumbai, Thane, and Ahmedabad.

Engineering Wonders: Features India's first 7-km undersea tunnel beneath Thane Creek and a 21-km-long tunnel network.

First Operational Section: Gujarat's Bilimora-Surat section is likely to begin trial runs by 2026.

Financing: Japan's JICA had extended a soft loan of ₹88,000 crore, and Maharashtra is now looking for an additional $50 billion for statewide infrastructure.

Delays & Progress: There was a halt in work during the MVA government period (2020–2022) but picked pace after 2022, with Gujarat now leading in construction.

Vadhavan Port Link: The bullet train will link the new Vadhavan port, which will include a reclaimed-land airport as well.

Fadnavis stressed the importance of the project for increasing Maharashtra's $1 trillion GSDP target, taking into consideration earlier infrastructure investments of $30 billion.

Sources: The Indian Express, CNBC-TV18, Moneycontrol