India's first bullet train design unveiled
What's the story
The Indian Railways has released the design of the country's first proposed bullet train, which will run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The image of the proposed train is on display at Gate Number 4 of the Ministry of Railways in New Delhi. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, which spans 508km, will pass through Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Project details
12 stations planned on the route
The MAHSR project will have 12 stations, including Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat Bharuch Vadodara Anand Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. Foundation work is complete at eight stations in Gujarat: Vapi Billimora Surat Bharuch Anand Vadodara Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. In Maharashtra, construction is ongoing at Thane Virar and Boisar, while excavation at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) station is nearing completion.
Twitter Post
The first look
A picture of the country's first proposed bullet train has been displayed at the Ministry of Railways. The picture has been installed at Gate Number 4: Indian Railways pic.twitter.com/LcbwMstDuw
— ANI (@ANI) May 18, 2026
Infrastructure update
Bridges and tunnels
Seventeen river bridges have been completed, with work progressing on four major bridges over Narmada Mahi Tapti and Sabarmati rivers in Gujarat. Construction is also underway for four river bridges in Maharashtra. At the BKC station site, excavation work is about 91% complete. Furthermore, construction has started on an undersea tunnel section, with 4.8km already completed between Ghansoli and Shilphata.
Indigenous technology
Train sets are being manufactured in India
The MAHSR project aims to enhance indigenous high-speed rail technology under the Make in India initiative. Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, and BEML Limited, Bengaluru are jointly developing train sets with a design speed of 280km/h. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail route is slated to open on August 15, 2027. Once operational, the train is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the two major cities to approximately two hours.