MUMBAI – Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently inspected the bullet train railway project in Vikroli, revealing some impressive details about the ambitious project.
The tunnel for the high-speed train is 21 kilometers long, with 7 kilometers of it being undersea. The deepest point of the tunnel is 56 meters underwater, and it is nearly 40 feet wide. The train will be able to move at a speed of 320 km/hr inside the tunnel.
Vaishnaw stated, “This is India’s first high-speed corridor project. Our biggest aim in this project is to understand the complexity and the capability of its design.”
The project faced some initial hurdles. “Till the time the Maharashtra government was led by Uddhav Thackeray, he did not give permission for this project. But when Eknath Shinde assumed charge, we got a go-ahead,” said Vaishnaw.
To speed up the process, some innovations have been made. Work is going on simultaneously from four directions. The first section of this high-speed train will open in July-August 2026 between Surat and Bilimora.
The Shinkansen system, one of the safest systems in the world, is being installed in the high-speed railway project. This marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards advanced rail infrastructure.