THE TRIAL run for India’s first bullet train on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor will start in 2026 on the Surat-Bilimora section in South Gujarat, according to Pramod Sharma, director (works) at National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
The Times of India reported that 92 per cent of the corridor’s 508 km alignment, mostly elevated, is completed.
The corridor has 12 stations, with eight in Gujarat, including Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, and Vapi, and four in Maharashtra.
Sharma said 212 km of viaduct construction is finished in Gujarat, and foundation work for all eight stations is completed.
The 50 km Surat-Bilimora section is being prioritised, with construction at an advanced stage to meet the 2026 trial run target.
For the Vadodara section, spanning around 8 km, the deadline is December 2025, but work may be completed earlier.
The bullet train station in Vadodara, inspired by the city's banyan trees, is being built over platform seven of Vadodara railway station.
The elevated rail corridor will pass over five railway overbridges and three underbridges in Vadodara.
Three flyovers are completed, with the remaining two expected to be finished soon.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images
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