Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism Hiromasa Nakano on Friday reviewed the ongoing works of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project, India’s first bullet train corridor.
The Japanese Minister was accorded a traditional Garba welcome at Surat International Airport, where local leaders, including MP Mukesh Dalal, Mayor Daxesh Mavani, senior railway officials, and representatives from NHSRCL were present.
At Surat, the ministers visited the track construction base and observed the laying of the J-slab ballast-less track system on the viaduct. Vaishnaw also highlighted the recent installation of the project’s first track turnout near Surat HSR station.
Later, travelling by Vande Bharat Express to Mumbai, the delegation inspected the upcoming Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) underground bullet train station, where excavation has already reached a depth of over 30 metres, equivalent to a 10-storey building. With nearly 84% of excavation work completed, the station is designed with three levels—platform, concourse, and service floor—along with modern passenger amenities, metro and road connectivity, and skylights for natural lighting.
Project Milestones
The 508-km MAHSR corridor has made significant progress:
* 323 km of viaduct and 399 km of pier work completed
* 17 river bridges, 5 PSC bridges, and 9 steel bridges finished
* 211 km of track bed laid and over 4 lakh noise barriers installed
* Work underway on 7 mountain tunnels in Palghar and the 21-km NATM tunnel between BKC and Shilphata, with a 5-km breakthrough already achieved
* Construction of rolling stock depots at Surat and Ahmedabad advancing rapidly
* Station superstructures across Gujarat nearly complete; work on three elevated stations in Maharashtra has begun
Minister Nakano and the Japanese team praised the quality of India’s Vande Bharat Express and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting the bullet train project.
The joint site visits underscore the deepening India–Japan partnership in implementing high-speed rail technology and highlight the government’s focus on delivering modern, sustainable infrastructure.