India's First Bullet Train on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Route Begins Test Runs

India's first high-speed bullet train conducted its maiden test run on a 50-kilometer stretch of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor on Wednesday, reaching a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour during trials near the Surat section. The Shinkansen E5-series train, manufactured by a Kawasaki-L&T joint venture, completed the test run flawlessly, bringing the ambitious project closer to its revised launch date of mid-2027.

Project Progress

The 508-kilometer corridor between Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex and Ahmedabad's Sabarmati is now 78% complete. The underwater tunnel beneath Thane Creek — the most challenging engineering section — was completed ahead of schedule in January 2026. Twelve of the 15 stations along the route are structurally complete, with interior fitouts and platform systems being installed.

The train will cover the Mumbai-Ahmedabad distance in approximately 2 hours and 7 minutes, compared to the current 6-7 hours by road or the fastest express train time of 4 hours 30 minutes. Tickets are expected to be priced between Rs 2,500-3,500, competitive with air travel on the same route when accounting for airport travel time and security procedures.

"This test run marks a new chapter in Indian railways. The bullet train will transform not just transportation but the entire economic corridor between India's financial capital and Gujarat's industrial powerhouse," said Railway Minister at the event.

The project has faced numerous delays and cost overruns, with the current estimated cost of Rs 1.1 lakh crore being nearly double the original Rs 65,000 crore projection. Critics point to the opportunity cost of investing such sums in a single corridor, while supporters argue that the technology transfer and manufacturing capabilities developed during the project will benefit India's broader railway modernization programme. Plans for additional bullet train corridors connecting Delhi-Varanasi and Chennai-Bengaluru are already in the feasibility study stage.