India's Mumbai‑Ahmedabad Bullet Train 80% complete as tunnel work launches

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said roughly 80 percent of the Mumbai‑Ahmedabad high‑speed rail corridor is finished. The first operational stretch, from Surat to Bilimora, is scheduled for inauguration in 2027, with later phases covering Wapi‑Surat, Wapi‑Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad‑Thane and finally Ahmedabad‑Mumbai.

On Sunday the ministry will commence underground tunnel‑boring work in Mumbai, deploying two German‑built tunnel boring machines to excavate a 20.37‑km tunnel that includes a 7‑km under‑sea section beneath Thane Creek. The tunnel, to be driven about 65 m below ground, is being built by Afcons Infrastructure under technical and financial assistance from Japan. When complete, the 508‑km line will link the two cities in roughly two hours at speeds up to 320 km/h.