November 27, 2025: India’s first high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has recorded steady progress, with the latest government data confirming that the project has achieved over 55% physical completion. The update comes from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) October project monitoring flash report, which tracks major national infrastructure works under the PAIMANA portal.
The 508-km corridor, estimated to cost around Rs 1.08 lakh crore, has already seen an expenditure of Rs 82,968 crore. Officials noted that construction is advancing across multiple stretches, reflecting the project’s transition into a critical stage of implementation.
Just last week, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reiterated the government’s commitment to operationalising the first segment of the bullet train service by August 2027. He said the inaugural run will cover the 100-km Surat–Vapi section of the corridor. “A significant milestone is that the bullet train will cover the distance between Ahmedabad and Mumbai in just 1 hour 58 minutes upon the completion of the high-speed rail corridor. The inaugural run in August 2027 will cover 100 km between Surat and Vapi,” Vaishnaw said.
The full Mumbai–Ahmedabad route will feature trains running at speeds of up to 320 kmph. With four stops, the journey will take 1 hour 58 minutes, while halting at all 12 stations will extend the travel time to 2 hours 17 minutes. “The bullet train will cover the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in 1 hour 58 minutes with four stops. However, if it halts at all 12 stations, the total journey time will be 2 hours 17 minutes,” the minister added.
Vaishnaw also highlighted that the project has required resolving several complex design challenges through Indian Railways’ engineering innovations. While he did not specify whether the first service would use a Japanese Shinkansen train or an Indian-built system, he confirmed that the corridor is targeted for completion by December 2029.
