The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project has completed 352 km of viaduct construction and 446 km of pier work, according to National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited’s (NHSRCL) May 2026 progress update.
The latest update by the NHSRCL, which is the implementing agency for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, shows continued progress across the 508 km corridor, including elevated sections, track systems, bridges, tunnels and electrification works.
Noise barriers have been installed over 291 km of the elevated sections.
The corridor, which is India’s first bullet train project, will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad through 12 stations across Maharashtra, Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Nearly 90 per cent of the alignment is being built as an elevated corridor, while the remaining stretches include tunnels, bridges and station areas.
On the track front, NHSRCL has completed 193 route km of reinforced concrete track bed. Track slabs with CAM injection have also been completed over 78 route km.
Electrification works are progressing alongside track construction. More than 8,200 overhead equipment masts have been installed across 185 route km for the planned 2×25 kV traction system.
Bridge works have also recorded steady progress. So far, 17 river bridges and 14 steel bridges have been completed. The full corridor includes 25 river bridges and 28 steel bridges.
Tunnel construction has advanced in both Maharashtra and Gujarat. NHSRCL said four mountain tunnels have been completed, while 5 km of NATM tunnel work has also been finished.
The high-speed rail corridor includes eight mountain tunnels, of which seven are located in Maharashtra’s Palghar district and one in Gujarat’s Valsad district.
In Maharashtra, the 21 km BKC-Shilphata tunnel remains one of the most critical underground sections of the project. It includes a 7 km undersea tunnel below Thane Creek, the first such rail tunnel in India.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is being developed with Japanese Shinkansen technology and is India’s first bullet train corridor.
The section is part of the larger 508-km Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed corridor, also known as Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, which is expected to be fully operational by 2029.
Vaishnaw said the Mumbai–Ahmedabad travel time would drop to 1 hour 58 minutes once the corridor is ready.
He added that the first operational run in August 2027 would be limited to the 100-km Surat–Vapi stretch.
“A significant milestone is that the bullet train will cover the distance between Ahmedabad and Mumbai in just 1 hour 58 minutes upon the completion of the high-speed rail corridor. The inaugural run in August 2027 will cover 100 km between Surat and Vapi,” Vaishaw said.
The minister said trains on the 508-km corridor will operate at speeds of up to 320 kmph.
With four stops, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad trip will take 1 hour 58 minutes, while halting at all 12 stations will extend the journey to 2 hours 17 minutes.
“The bullet train will cover the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in 1 hour 58 minutes with four stops. However, if it halts at all 12 stations, the total journey time will be 2 hours 17 minutes,” Vaishnaw said.
The corridor will be opened in phases, covering the Vapi-Surat, Vapi-Ahmedabad, and Thane-Ahmedabad stretches before the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section becomes operational in the final stage.
The full corridor is expected to be completed by December 2029, he added.
