India’s first bullet train will cover 100 km (Surat-Vapi) in its August 2027 inaugural run, indicating increased project pace.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Nov 18, 2025 that India’s first bullet train will now travel 100 km between Surat and Vapi in Gujarat on its first journey in August 2027. The train will travel the distance in less than two hours once the full Ahmadabad-Mumbai bullet train corridor is operational, he continued.
Just a few days after PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Surat station, the announcements were made.
Vaishnaw has previously stated that the first run would take place over a 50-kilometre stretch between Surat and Billimore. The minister’s recent remarks are interpreted as a sign of the faster rate of advancement.
Vaishnaw told reporters that the bullet train journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad would take one hour and fifty-eight minutes, including stops at four intermediate stations. On the other hand, it will take two hours and seventeen minutes to go the full distance if it stops at all twelve stations. It is anticipated that the full project will be finished in 2029.
It is unclear if a Japanese Shinkansen or an Indian high-speed train will operate during the bullet train’s debut run, despite the new pledge.
In order to run a bullet train at 320 kmph, the nation’s first 508 km high-speed rail route is being built between Sabarmati (Ahmedabad) and Mumbai. The project’s foundation stone was placed in 2017, and its original completion date was set for December 2023. However, the project was delayed by forest removal, land acquisition, and other problems.
The minister stated that the PM was pleased with the rate of advancement during Modi’s most recent visit. He stated that the lessons acquired from the project should be applied to other industries as well, not just railroads and other high-speed initiatives. In this project, we have implemented innovations one after the other. The design was the most difficult aspect of this intricate undertaking, according to Vaishnaw.
SOURCE – TIMES OF INDIA
