Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the under-construction Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project site in Vikroli on Friday, February 23 and inspected the progress of the 21-kilometre tunnel, part of which will run under the sea.
Vaishnaw announced opening dates for the first section between Surat and Bilimora by July-August 2026. Additionally, he assured the public of the project's safety by highlighting the implementation of the Shinkansen system, renowned for its safety features.
"The first section of this high-speed train will open in July-August 2026 between Surat and Bilimora. The Shinkansen system is being installed in the high-speed railway project. It is one of the safest systems in the world," said Union Railways Minister during a media interaction.
Ashwini Vaishnaw on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project:
Vaishnaw highlighted the project's progress, including completing 7 kilometres of the undersea tunnel, reaching a depth of 56 meters. He emphasized the train's ability to reach speeds of 320 km/h within the tunnel and praised the innovations implemented to expedite construction, including work progressing simultaneously from four directions.
"This tunnel is 21km long, out of which 7km of it will be undersea. The deepest point is 56mtr underwater. The tunnel is nearly 40 feet wide. The train will be able to move at a speed of 320km/hr inside the tunnel," said Vaishnaw.
Vaishnaw contrasted the current administration's support with the previous government's alleged lack of cooperation. He expressed appreciation for the "go-ahead" received under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
He said, "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... To speed up the process, some innovations have been made. Work is going on simultaneously from four directions... 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."