Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train: India Considers Vande Bharat Alternative

The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd(NHSRCL), is now looking for companies to build the signaling system for the 508-km train route. The project, which costs Rs 1.08 lakh crore, is one of India’s biggest railway projects.

According to the sources, the talks between India and Japan about special trains that can run at speeds over 320 km per hour have come to a standstill. While the track was originally meant for Japanese Shinkansen (bullet) trains, India is now considering other options by issuing a tender. This is an important step forward, even as the train procurement remains uncertain.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw met with Japanese officials in September 2024 to talk about the project’s future. Sources reveal that the Japanese bullet trains might not run on this route until 2032. Meanwhile, India is moving ahead with its own plans.

Instead of waiting for Japanese bullet trains, the country might use its own Vande Bharat trains on the Mumbai Ahmedabad High speed Rail Corridor by 2026. NHSRCL is now looking to use European train control technology (ETCS Level 2) instead of the originally planned Japanese system.

BEML, an Indian company, has won an Rs 866 crore contract to build two high-speed train sets that can run at 280 kmph. These new Vande Bharat trains won’t be as fast as the planned Japanese bullet trains (which can go over 320 kmph), but they could start running much sooner —-possibly by 2026.

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