First bullet train on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route: Japan contract this month; 24 bullet trains to be purchased

KOCHI: An agreement will be reached with Japan later this month for the country's first bullet train service on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. 24 bullet trains popularly known as Shinkansen (bullet train) in Japanese are being purchased. Efforts are being made to run these on a 508 km route by mid-2026.

The bullet limited stop train with a speed of 320 km per hour will cover a distance of 508 km in two hours. There are 12 stations. All stop bullet trains will finish the run at 2.45 hrs. At present it takes six hours. A mobility hub emblazoned with Dandi Yatra will also be constructed adjacent to the major station, Sabarmati.

Track is 75% complete

The track is 50 percent complete in Gujarat and 25 percent complete in Maharashtra. The Shinkansen network of Japan is being made of concrete slab track. About a thousand Indian engineers trained by Japan are doing the construction. National High Speed ​​Rail Corporation is in charge. There are skyways, tunnels, 20 bridges and a sea tunnel. 1.2 km bridge over river Narmada and a 2.2 km bridge over Vaitarani river. 40 meter long girders are being placed on single piers and each girder weighs 970 tonnes.

Bullet train

• Aerodynamic design
• Coaches-10
• Passengers- 690
• First class seat- 15
• Business Class- 55
• Standard Class – 620
• Breastfeeding cabin
• Rest room for patients
• Seismometer at stations - 28

Total project cost: 1.1 lakh crore

For trains alone: ​​11,000 crore