India-made bullet train set for track tests in May-June 2027: Vaishnaw

India’s first bullet train manufactured domestically has taken a significant step towards hitting the tracks, with the first body frame of the high-speed train built and sent for a key structural test, Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.

The first India-made bullet train is expected to enter track testing in May-June 2027, potentially marking a major milestone in India’s efforts to build high-speed rail technology and rolling stock within the country. “The first body frame of the bullet train which is being manufactured in India was sent for a squeeze test yesterday.

By May-June next year, the bullet train built in India will roll down the tracks for testing. After 3-4 months of testing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating it,” the minister said at an event in Vadodara where PM Modi was also present.

The squeeze test is a structural assessment of the train’s body frame, aimed at checking its ability to withstand prescribed compressive forces before the train progresses to track and operational testing. Vaishnaw also said construction of the Surat-Vapi section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor will be completed by December this year, providing another major milestone for India’s first bullet train project.

“The construction of the section between Surat and Vapi will be completed this year itself by December,” said Vaishnaw. The minister said the high-speed rail project would substantially cut travel time between Gujarat and Maharashtra.

“The travel time between Vadodara and Mumbai will be reduced to 1.5 hours,” he added. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor, being developed with Japanese technology and cooperation, will connect key economic centres across Gujarat and Maharashtra and is expected to transform inter-city passenger connectivity along the country’s western industrial corridor.

The bullet train developments come alongside a major expansion of freight infrastructure in western India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated to the nation three important sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), covering 326 route kilometres and developed at a cost of more than ₹20,700 crore.

The sections include New Sanand (North)-New Makarpura, New Umbergaon-New Saphale and New Saphale-New JNPT. The direct connectivity to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is expected to facilitate faster movement of export-import cargo, strengthen connectivity between industrial centres and ports, reduce logistics costs and help decongest Mumbai’s railway network.

With the commissioning of these sections, the Dedicated Freight Corridor network will stand fully operational across its entire length.