Bullet train in India: India’s bullet train project is designed for Japanese Shinkansen trains, which were first introduced in 1964 on the Tokyo–Shin-Osaka route. The term ‘Shinkansen’ literally means ‘New Trunk Line’. According to National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), “India will have similar Shinkansen trains (E5 series) between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in near future. These trains will have an operating speed of 320 kmph and cover a distance of 508 kms in 2 hrs 7 minutes on a limited stop service.”
Incorporated on February 12, 2016, the NHSRCL maintain and manage the High Speed Rail (HSR) corridor. The Company has been modelled as ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ in the joint sector with equity participation by Central Government through Ministry of Railways and two State Governments viz. Government of Gujarat and Government of Maharashtra.
In the recently concluded Monsoon session of Parliament, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw clarified that India’s bullet train project is designed for Japanese Shinkansen trains. “Bullet train project is designed for Japanese Shinkansen trains,” Vaishnaw said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on August 20, 2025.
He further emphasised that the project is highly complex and involves advanced technology. The minister was responding to questions raised by TMC MP Rachna Banerjee.
Bullet train route in India
The country’s first bullet train will run on the 508-km-long Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor. The MAHSR project is passing through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.
Bullet train project in India
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project is under execution with technical and financial assistance from Government of Japan.
PM Modi bullet train news
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday travelled to Sendai from Tokyo in a bullet train. He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba. The Prime Minister landed in Tokyo on Friday on a two-day visit.
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On Friday, in an interview with the Japanese daily The Yomiuri Shimbun, PM Modi stated that the government has unveiled an ambition to expand the high-speed rail network in the country.
““While the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is on its way, we have unveiled a bigger ambition: to have a 7,000-kilometer-long network of high-speed rail in our country,” he told The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The Prime Minister added that the government aims to commence passenger operations on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor within the next few years.
“The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is a flagship project between India and Japan. We are aiming to have the passenger services start in a few years’ time,” PM Modi told The Yomiuri Shimbun.
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