India’s first bullet train with 280 km/h speed and Rs 28 crore coach will soon be on tracks

Indian Railways is reportedly aiming to soon run the first bullet train of the country in Maharashtra. This speculation has surfaced after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) got victory in the recent Assembly election in the state. The first bullet train will travel from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.The ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) bullet train project has been in the works for some time now and now, the government might speed up the project. Moreover, the Indian Railways is planning to domestically manufacture high-speed trains.The bullet train project will be based on the existing Vande Bharat platform. The bullet train corridor will feature advanced signalling systems and the integration of the latest automatic train protection technology – Kavach 5.0.According to recent reports, the development of the bullet train corridor in Maharashtra has picked up space after the NDA government took charge. The land acquisition for the project is complete and over 320 kilometres of the physical infrastructure work is ready.The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project will be the first bullet train project in the country and more such projects will soon commence. Moreover, India aims to manage and expand the project independently.An official stated that India wants to single handedly manage the project. The country aims to be capable of manufacturing the  bullet trains that can touch speeds of up to 280 kilometres per hour (kmph) and average at 250 kmph operational speed. However, this may take some time as the key components like power trains and train bodies development might take a longer time of around three years.Meanwhile, MAHSR corridor’s civil work is around 50% complete. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) has received the task of producing bullet trains capable of reaching speeds of 280 km/h from the Railway Board.The BEML has been contracted to manufacture these trains at a cost of Rs 866.87 crore, with each coach priced at Rs 27.86 crore. This cost includes design, development, and expenses for tooling, testing, and related facilities.Moreover, a state-of-the-art track slab manufacturing factory has been established near Surat to support India’s first bullet train project. The factory is said to produce high-capacity ballastless track slabs used in Japan track system. It will use advanced Shinkansen technology, the release added.