The first trial run of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project, will begin in 2026 between Surat and Bilimora in South Gujarat. Pramod Sharma, director (works), National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), confirmed this on Wednesday.
The high-speed rail corridor, which spans 508km between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, has 92% of its alignment constructed as an elevated track.
Of the 12 stations that will dot the corridor, eight are in Gujarat — Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora and Vapi — while four are in Maharashtra.”The construction of the viaduct has been completed on a 212km section out of the total 352 km stretch in Gujarat. At the same time, the foundation work for all eight stations in Gujarat has been completed,” Sharma said.
He added that the Surat-Bilimora stretch, spanning nearly 50km, is being treated as a priority stretch by the NHSRCL. “Construction at Surat and Bilimora is in an advanced stage as we are aiming at starting the trial runs in 2026,” he said.
Regarding the progress of the bullet train project in Vadodara, an approximately 8km stretch, referred to as the C-5 package, Sharma said they have set Dec 2025 as the deadline.
“We have set Dec 2025 as the deadline, but we are trying to complete work before that,” he said.
The design of the bullet train station in Vadodara is inspired by the foliage of a banyan tree, owing to the copious amount of banyan (Vad) trees found in the city.
The station is being constructed above platform number seven of Vadodara railway station of the Indian Railways, near Pandya bridge, over 16,467 sq m.
“We have also acquired land to ensure seamless integration of traffic around the bullet train station, offering connectivity with the Vadodara railway station, the city, and the state bus depots,” he said.The elevated high-speed rail corridor will cross five railway overbridges (ROBs) and three railway underbridges (RUBs). These include Vishwamitri ROB, Akota ROB, Pandya bridge ROB, Chhani ROB, Jetalpur ROB, Alkapuri RUB, Jetalpur RUB and Priyadarshini RUB.
“Of these, work on three flyovers has been completed while work on the remaining two will be completed soon,” he said.
