NEW DELHI: India’s first bullet train project has moved a step closer as the discussions between India and Japan on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor are progressing well.According to the sources, Japan will provide its next-generation E10 series Shinkansen trains for the project in the early 2030s. The E10 train is still under development in Japan. In the meantime, construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is moving ahead rapidly. Government sources told ANI that both India and Japan have agreed to begin operations with an Indian high-speed train so that services can start at the earliest. The decision is in line with the shared goal of launching the project without waiting for the E10 trains to be ready.The first section of the corridor is expected to open in 2027, marking the beginning of India’s long-awaited bullet train era.However, the first operational stretch will use indigenously built high-speed trains, while Japan’s next-generation E10 trains will be introduced later, after 2030.The project has been one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s flagship infrastructure initiatives and is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad once fully operational.The latest update comes just days after Prime Minister Modi flagged off India’s first hydrogen-powered train, opening a new chapter for the country’s railway network. With this, India joined a select group of nations operating hydrogen-powered trains.The hydrogen train has 10 coaches and can carry around 2,600 passengers. It will run between Jind and Sonipat in Haryana at a maximum operational speed of 75 kmph, although it has been designed to run at speeds of up to 110 kmph.Earlier this week, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the first operational stretch of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor, between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat, will be launched next year.Speaking at the HYSEA GCCS & IT Roundtable in Hyderabad, Vaishnaw said work on India’s first bullet train corridor is progressing at a fast pace.“The first bullet train project is right now under construction between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and the progress is immense. Next year, we will start the first section of the bullet train in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section between Surat and Bilimora,” he said.The minister added that the remaining sections of the corridor will be opened in phases as construction is completed.
