India’s first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad continues to achieve significant milestones nearly every week.
On Wednesday, the bridge over the Vishwamitri River in Vadodara district was
completed, bringing the total number of finished river bridges to 17 out of 25. Additionally, the project has completed the first four kilometers of the planned 21-kilometer undersea tunnel in Maharashtra, marking a major step forward for this transformative high-speed rail corridor.
4 km of Undersea Tunnel Finished
The Railways Ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the only tunnel in Gujarat has been completed, while work on the 21-km undersea tunnel in Maharashtra has started for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project.
“Out of this, a 4-km tunnel between Ghansoli and Shilphata in Maharashtra has been completed,” the ministry said in a written reply.
As per the ministry’s data, foundation work has been completed for a total of 406 kilometers—with 350 kilometers in Gujarat and 56 kilometers in Maharashtra. Piers have been constructed across 395 kilometers—350 kilometers in Gujarat and 45 kilometers in Maharashtra.
Highlighting steady progress in key structural components of the project, the ministry also said girder casting has progressed over 333.67 kilometers, including 332 kilometers in Gujarat and 1.67 kilometers in Maharashtra. Additionally, girder launching has been carried out for 312.16 kilometers so far—with 312 kilometers completed in Gujarat and 0.16 kilometers in Maharashtra.
“Track laying has started on 127 km of viaduct, and erection of OHE masts has also commenced,” the ministry added.
Foundation Work Completed at 8 of 12 Stations
Of 12 stations on the route, foundation works have been completed at eight—Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.
The remaining four stations in Maharashtra have foundation work in progress at Thane, Virar and Boisar. Excavation work at BKC station is near completion and casting of the base slab has started.
Work on depots at Thane, Surat and Sabarmati is in full swing, the ministry added.
17th River Bridge Completed in Gujarat
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Wednesday issued a statement saying that of the 25 bridges needed for the project, 21 are in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra—and all 17 bridges built so far are in Gujarat.
Spanning 80 meters, the latest bridge is located adjacent to the Vadodara-Surat main line of Western Railways. The bridge comprises three piers—one positioned in the river stream and two on the riverbanks. Construction utilised the Span-by-Span (SBS) method, resulting in two spans of 40 meters each. The foundation of each pier is robust, resting on 12 piles of 1.8-meter diameter, extending as deep as 53 meters, ensuring stability and durability under demanding conditions.
The Vishwamitri River presents a unique challenge for the bullet train alignment, as it meanders and is intersected by the route at nine different locations in and around Vadodara. Apart from the main river bridge, three out of the remaining eight crossings have already been completed, and construction is underway on the other five.
This river is around 3 km from the Vadodara bullet-train station. This is the second river bridge in Vadodara after the one on the Dhadhar River.
Six of the other 15 completed bridges in the state are in Navsari district—on the Purna, Mindhola, Ambika, Venganiya, Kaveri and Kharera rivers. Five are in Valsad district—on the Par, Auranga, Kolak, Darotha and Daman Ganga rivers. Kheda district has three bridges—on the Mohar, Vatrak and Meshwa rivers—and one bridge is in Surat district on the Kim River.
BKC to Sabarmati by December 2029
The High-Speed Rail Project — India’s first bullet train — is currently under execution with technical and financial assistance from the Government of Japan, the ministry said.
Last month, News18 reported that the Vapi-Sabarmati section of the MAHSR project in Gujarat is expected to be ready by December 2027, while the entire corridor connecting Mumbai will be operational by the end of 2029.
The ministry on Wednesday maintained the timeline, saying the entire project from Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Sabarmati is expected to be completed by December 2029.
“However, the bullet train project is a very complex and technology-intensive project. Exact timelines for completion can be reasonably ascertained only after the construction of all civil structures, tracks, electrical, signaling & telecommunication systems and supply of trainsets,” it added.
Work on the project began in September 2017. A delay in land acquisition in Maharashtra impacted progress until 2021. Thereafter, acquisition picked up, and currently the entire land (1,389.5 ha) for the MAHSR project has been acquired.
