Surat-Bilimora section to open first as India’s first bullet train to begin ops on August 15, 2027

India’s first bullet train is scheduled to begin operations on August 15, 2027, marking a major step in the country’s high-speed rail ambitions, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said.

According to Moneycontrol, the bullet train will be rolled out in phases on the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, rather than starting operations across the entire route at once.

Sharing the timeline, Vaishnaw said, “The bullet train will be ready in 2027, August 15th, 2027. The first section to open will be from Surat to Bilimora. After that, Vapi to Surat will open. Then Vapi to Ahmedabad will open, and after that, Thane to Ahmedabad will open, and then Mumbai to Ahmedabad will open.”

The Surat-Bilimora stretch will be the first operational segment of the project, followed by phased extensions covering Vapi, Ahmedabad, Thane and Mumbai, completing the full corridor in stages.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor has been designed for trains running at speeds of up to 320 kmph. Once fully operational, the journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is expected to take around 1 hour and 58 minutes with limited stops, and about 2 hours and 17 minutes if all 12 stations are covered, Moneycontrol reported.

The project was inaugurated in 2017, with an initial completion target of December 2023. However, delays related to land acquisition and other implementation challenges led to a revision in timelines.

As reported by the Hindustan Times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently reviewed the progress of construction at the under-development Surat station. Following the visit, Vaishnaw said the prime minister expressed satisfaction with the pace of work on the high-speed rail project.

Once completed, the bullet train corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, offering a faster and modern alternative to existing rail services.