Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the country’s first bullet train project is progressing at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, he announced that the first Surat-Bilimora section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will begin operations in 2027, while addressing the HYSEA GCCS & IT Roundtable in Hyderabad.

The inaugural stretch will run between Gujarat’s Surat and Bilimora cities, marking the first phase of the country’s first high-speed rail corridor. Vaishnaw added that the remaining sections under the bullet train project would be commissioned in phases, starting with Vapi-Surat, then Vapi-Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad-Thane, followed by Ahmedabad-Mumbai.

Highlighting the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project’s broader impact, Ashwini said India has now acquired the ability to build such high-speed rail corridors and that its expansion will boost connectivity and regional economic integration.

The Union Railway Minister also outlined the Modi government’s plans for developing three new high-speed rail corridors connecting Hyderabad and linking the cities of Pune, Chennai, and Bengaluru. Once operational, the proposed Mumbai-Pune bullet train corridor would cut journey time on the 170-km-long route to just 48 minutes. Meanwhile, the nearly 500-kilometer travel time between Pune and Hyderabad would take two hours and eight minutes.

Sharing an update on the Indian railways network, Vaishnaw said 261 stations have already been redeveloped across the country under the “Nav-Nirmaan” programme. The work on Secunderabad railway station is progressing rapidly while train operations continue.