Bullet Train Stations Update | MAHSR
From Sabarmati to Vapi, every station is taking shape with remarkable speed and precision. Here’s a glimpse of the progress at all Bullet Train stations in Gujarat as we move closer to India’s first high-speed rail dream.
Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
India’s first hydrogen-powered train is set to redefine rail travel
India’s first hydrogen-powered train is set to redefine rail travel — clean, green, and future-ready.
A bold step towards sustainable mobility!
1st Video of India's Hydrogen Powered Train, India's NaMo Green Rail, H2 Powered
India's 1st Video of 1st Hydrogen powered Train. First Glimpse of NaMo Green Rail
India’s first hydrogen-powered train is set to redefine rail travel — clean, green, and future-ready.
A bold step towards sustainable mobility!
1st Video of India's Hydrogen Powered Train, India's NaMo Green Rail, H2 Powered
India's 1st Video of 1st Hydrogen powered Train. First Glimpse of NaMo Green Rail
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Mega Engineering Update 2025
World-Class Technology & Engineering Marvels:
The Bullet Train project is rewriting the rules of railway construction in India. For the first time, the Full Span Girder Launching Technique is being deployed—an innovation that builds a 40-meter bridge in just 16 hours, nearly 10 times faster than conventional methods. Each girder weighs 970 tons and is placed with millimeter precision using an indigenous 1,100-ton capacity launching gantry.
The route also features India’s first undersea rail tunnel, a 7-km stretch beneath Thane Creek, built with the largest tunnel boring machine ever used in the country. 65,000 MT of special-grade steel for bridges, 12 futuristic stations blending local culture with global standards, and a 32-meter-deep underground station at Mumbai’s BKC, set to become a world-class transit hub.
Beyond concrete and steel, the project is also building capacity. Over 1,000 Indian engineers and technicians are being trained and certified by Japanese experts, ensuring that the knowledge and expertise remain in India for generations to come.
India’s first Bullet Train is more than infrastructure—it’s a leap into the future of high-speed travel.
Progress Updates So Far:
323 km of viaduct already completed out of 465 km
17 river bridges finished out of 25; 9 steel bridges completed out of 28
105 km of RC track bed & 9 km of track slab laid
First turnout crossing installed near Surat Station
Overhead electrification masts installed in 53 km stretch
400,000+ noise barriers in place
Sabarmati multimodal hub completed for seamless connectivity
World-Class Technology & Engineering Marvels:
The Bullet Train project is rewriting the rules of railway construction in India. For the first time, the Full Span Girder Launching Technique is being deployed—an innovation that builds a 40-meter bridge in just 16 hours, nearly 10 times faster than conventional methods. Each girder weighs 970 tons and is placed with millimeter precision using an indigenous 1,100-ton capacity launching gantry.
The route also features India’s first undersea rail tunnel, a 7-km stretch beneath Thane Creek, built with the largest tunnel boring machine ever used in the country. 65,000 MT of special-grade steel for bridges, 12 futuristic stations blending local culture with global standards, and a 32-meter-deep underground station at Mumbai’s BKC, set to become a world-class transit hub.
Beyond concrete and steel, the project is also building capacity. Over 1,000 Indian engineers and technicians are being trained and certified by Japanese experts, ensuring that the knowledge and expertise remain in India for generations to come.
India’s first Bullet Train is more than infrastructure—it’s a leap into the future of high-speed travel.
Progress Updates So Far:323 km of viaduct already completed out of 465 km
17 river bridges finished out of 25; 9 steel bridges completed out of 28
105 km of RC track bed & 9 km of track slab laid
First turnout crossing installed near Surat Station
Overhead electrification masts installed in 53 km stretch
400,000+ noise barriers in place
Sabarmati multimodal hub completed for seamless connectivity
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
https://x.com/Siege4570/status/1974775922177036737
@Siege4570
Bharat’s next leap in rail testing!
“Our new high-speed test tracks will be ready by year-end. Two Vande Bharat trains with altered gear ratios will be tested at 200 kmph, checking all performance parameters.” — ICF R&D official.
@Siege4570
Bharat’s next leap in rail testing!
“Our new high-speed test tracks will be ready by year-end. Two Vande Bharat trains with altered gear ratios will be tested at 200 kmph, checking all performance parameters.” — ICF R&D official.
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Wonderful news. I always wondered why Indian Railways didn't have dedicated test track. However the issue with Semi high speed broad gauge trains in India remains track fencing and a population who still choose to cross railway tracks even though over bridges are availableuddu wrote: ↑05 Oct 2025 21:00 https://x.com/Siege4570/status/1974775922177036737
@Siege4570
Bharat’s next leap in rail testing!
“Our new high-speed test tracks will be ready by year-end. Two Vande Bharat trains with altered gear ratios will be tested at 200 kmph, checking all performance parameters.” — ICF R&D official.
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Yeah, it is the same attitude as darting across busy roads jumping over the median even if an overbridge is available nearby. We specialize in short-circuiting.
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Indian Railways becomes the second largest Freight mover in the world with 1.6 billion tonnes in FY 2024-2025
Surpassing USA!
https://x.com/RailMinIndia/status/1975521888815460694
Surpassing USA!
https://x.com/RailMinIndia/status/1975521888815460694
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Now that the line to Mizoram(Aizawl) is open and both freight and passenger services started from Sairang/Aizawl to Bairabi and on to Delhi(Rajdhani), Kolkata and Guwahati, here is a summary I have prepared on the remaining lines under construction in NE India.
Some Problems in Constructing Remaining lines in NE India.
1. Jiribam--Imphal line (Manipur) total distance 111 km. Track linking achieved till May 1, 2025 55.16km. LA 1590 ha out of which 1576.56 ha is acquired. 59533.97/61795.197 m of tunneling completed. 5/10 stations completed.
Problems/Concerns:
1. Project infrastructure conditions like road network, security environment is extremely difficult. 3 Bridges on NH-37 are weak & old with severe speed restrictions. This makes it difficult to transport construction machinery and materials.
2. The working season available during the year is only 6 months.
3. Awangkhal yard, the works on cutting and earthworks are in progress. However, there has been a landslide which has caused obstruction to the ongoing works and after detailed
deliberation with the consultants, it has been decided that a tunnel will have to be made with a length of about 200mts. for ensuring safety.
4. Tupul Yard : Massive land slide in June'22 resulted in debris deposit upto 40m height. Design of protection work to be done but all works held up due to local disturbance.
5. Tunnel No. 12 : Poor rock class and poor geological condition has hampered progress of work. Additional vertical shafts are being provided to open 4 new faces.
6. Progress is hampered since May-2023 due to Law & Order problem in Manipur.
Tracks are laid till Khongsang. Beyond Khongsang: Khongsang–Awangkhul (9.1 km) by March 2026, Awangkhul–Noney (9.15 km) by March 2027, Noney–Imphal (37.02 km) by March 2028.
2. Dhansiri to Zubza line (Nagaland). 82.5 km. Track linking 30.2 km done. 1/5 station buildings completed. This is till May 1, 2025. Land needed 646.89 ha, acquired 645.64 ha.
13200.01/ 31238.99m of tunneling completed.
Major Problems/Concerns
1. Project working conditions is poor due to security environment, frequent hindrance by locals and limited working season also affect the progress.
2. Tunnel No 1 & Tunnel no 4 are encountering very poor rock quality (rock class VI & VII) resulting in underground excavation by heading/ benching in the month of December 2022.
Further there is heavy seepage of water encountered in Portal-1 of Tunnel no-1 resulting in less progress.
3.Work of Tunnel no. 6 (4740m) and Bridge no. 168 (6 x 30.5m) are hampered due to disturbance by local villagers of Tseipama village.
4. Tunnel No. 7 (6570 m)- is the most critical tunnel in this phase. No Adit is available for this tunnel. Due to Poor Geology and high-water ingress into the tunnel at multiple locations,
progress of U/G excavation is slow.
Tracks laid till Molvom, March 2025. Beyond Molvom: By October 2026, the Molvom–Pherima stretch (14.09 km) is set to open, followed by the Pherima–Zubza section (37.57 km) in December 2029, a milestone that will finally bring rail connectivity to Nagaland’s capital, Kohima.
3. Sivok to Rangpo line(Sikkim) 44.96km. Track linking 0km till May 1, 2025. Land needed 159.23 ha. Land acquired 155.88ha. 29468/38646 m of tunneling done. 2/5 stations completed. There is a novel underground station at Teesta Bazaar on this line, a first for IR. No areas of concern for this railway line. Completion December 2027.
5. Tetelia to Byrnihat line(Meghalaya) 25km and Byrnihat to Shillong line 100km in Meghalaya. LA for Tetelia to Byrnihat line is complete no progress on the last 5km. Work has been stopped since 2017 due to the protests of the KSU, Khasi Students Association. Meetings were held with the DC but there is no resolution, as the KSU views this line will bring in an influx of "foreigners" who will change the demographics of Meghalaya.
No work has started on the Byrnihat to Shillong line. 100 bridges have to be constructed with the longest one at 701 m. 31 tunnels totaling a distance of 39km have also to be constructed on this 100km sections. Zero progress on all this except survey of the route. 219 cr money was to be returned by the State government to the center for lack of any movement by the state government to facilitate this line.
After the inauguration of the Mizoram line by PM Modi in mid September, 4 freight rakes carrying cement, cars and stone have reached Mizoram. In addition the parcel van attached to the Rajdhani has been used to transport Anthurium flowers from Mizoram to Delhi. The cement rake had 41 wagons from a cement plant in AP.
Freight services have also started on the partial line in Nagaland to Moulvom. The line to Kohima (Nagaland) will be only complete by Dec 2029 see above.
Beed station in Marathwada is also operational since end September. This fulfills a 77 year old promise by various governments over 3 generations to connect Beed in backward Marathwada to Ahmednagar(Ahilya Nagari) and to the IR network. Gopinath Munde the deceased BJP minister was from Beed and it was one of his promises to put Beed on the IR map. Electrification is ongoing on the Beed to Ahilya Nagari section with completion targeted for Dec 2025. The current service is a DEMU service on the new line. Beyond Beed the line is being constructed to Parli Vaijnath with a completion target of August 2026.
Some Problems in Constructing Remaining lines in NE India.
1. Jiribam--Imphal line (Manipur) total distance 111 km. Track linking achieved till May 1, 2025 55.16km. LA 1590 ha out of which 1576.56 ha is acquired. 59533.97/61795.197 m of tunneling completed. 5/10 stations completed.
Problems/Concerns:
1. Project infrastructure conditions like road network, security environment is extremely difficult. 3 Bridges on NH-37 are weak & old with severe speed restrictions. This makes it difficult to transport construction machinery and materials.
2. The working season available during the year is only 6 months.
3. Awangkhal yard, the works on cutting and earthworks are in progress. However, there has been a landslide which has caused obstruction to the ongoing works and after detailed
deliberation with the consultants, it has been decided that a tunnel will have to be made with a length of about 200mts. for ensuring safety.
4. Tupul Yard : Massive land slide in June'22 resulted in debris deposit upto 40m height. Design of protection work to be done but all works held up due to local disturbance.
5. Tunnel No. 12 : Poor rock class and poor geological condition has hampered progress of work. Additional vertical shafts are being provided to open 4 new faces.
6. Progress is hampered since May-2023 due to Law & Order problem in Manipur.
Tracks are laid till Khongsang. Beyond Khongsang: Khongsang–Awangkhul (9.1 km) by March 2026, Awangkhul–Noney (9.15 km) by March 2027, Noney–Imphal (37.02 km) by March 2028.
2. Dhansiri to Zubza line (Nagaland). 82.5 km. Track linking 30.2 km done. 1/5 station buildings completed. This is till May 1, 2025. Land needed 646.89 ha, acquired 645.64 ha.
13200.01/ 31238.99m of tunneling completed.
Major Problems/Concerns
1. Project working conditions is poor due to security environment, frequent hindrance by locals and limited working season also affect the progress.
2. Tunnel No 1 & Tunnel no 4 are encountering very poor rock quality (rock class VI & VII) resulting in underground excavation by heading/ benching in the month of December 2022.
Further there is heavy seepage of water encountered in Portal-1 of Tunnel no-1 resulting in less progress.
3.Work of Tunnel no. 6 (4740m) and Bridge no. 168 (6 x 30.5m) are hampered due to disturbance by local villagers of Tseipama village.
4. Tunnel No. 7 (6570 m)- is the most critical tunnel in this phase. No Adit is available for this tunnel. Due to Poor Geology and high-water ingress into the tunnel at multiple locations,
progress of U/G excavation is slow.
Tracks laid till Molvom, March 2025. Beyond Molvom: By October 2026, the Molvom–Pherima stretch (14.09 km) is set to open, followed by the Pherima–Zubza section (37.57 km) in December 2029, a milestone that will finally bring rail connectivity to Nagaland’s capital, Kohima.
3. Sivok to Rangpo line(Sikkim) 44.96km. Track linking 0km till May 1, 2025. Land needed 159.23 ha. Land acquired 155.88ha. 29468/38646 m of tunneling done. 2/5 stations completed. There is a novel underground station at Teesta Bazaar on this line, a first for IR. No areas of concern for this railway line. Completion December 2027.
5. Tetelia to Byrnihat line(Meghalaya) 25km and Byrnihat to Shillong line 100km in Meghalaya. LA for Tetelia to Byrnihat line is complete no progress on the last 5km. Work has been stopped since 2017 due to the protests of the KSU, Khasi Students Association. Meetings were held with the DC but there is no resolution, as the KSU views this line will bring in an influx of "foreigners" who will change the demographics of Meghalaya.
No work has started on the Byrnihat to Shillong line. 100 bridges have to be constructed with the longest one at 701 m. 31 tunnels totaling a distance of 39km have also to be constructed on this 100km sections. Zero progress on all this except survey of the route. 219 cr money was to be returned by the State government to the center for lack of any movement by the state government to facilitate this line.
After the inauguration of the Mizoram line by PM Modi in mid September, 4 freight rakes carrying cement, cars and stone have reached Mizoram. In addition the parcel van attached to the Rajdhani has been used to transport Anthurium flowers from Mizoram to Delhi. The cement rake had 41 wagons from a cement plant in AP.
Freight services have also started on the partial line in Nagaland to Moulvom. The line to Kohima (Nagaland) will be only complete by Dec 2029 see above.
Beed station in Marathwada is also operational since end September. This fulfills a 77 year old promise by various governments over 3 generations to connect Beed in backward Marathwada to Ahmednagar(Ahilya Nagari) and to the IR network. Gopinath Munde the deceased BJP minister was from Beed and it was one of his promises to put Beed on the IR map. Electrification is ongoing on the Beed to Ahilya Nagari section with completion targeted for Dec 2025. The current service is a DEMU service on the new line. Beyond Beed the line is being constructed to Parli Vaijnath with a completion target of August 2026.
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
India has developed a rail based canisterized launch system. This is Agni Prime IRBM. The launch system has a pole that rises and pushes the OHE wires aside to clear a path for the missile launch. The FSU had an extensive rail based missile network.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPDUYfRUHB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPDUYfRUHB4
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Vande Bharat Express: Aspirational Speed Hits Track Realities, Warns Ex-Chief Mechanical Engineer
In NewsStation Podcast "Bullet Train of India," former ICF Chief Mechanical Engineer Shubhranshu—architect of its design—blamed infrastructure, not engineering flaws. The prototype, birthed in a record 18 months under Sudhanshu Mani, hit 180 km/h in trials.
"We could do 200 km/h with tweaks," Shubhranshu revealed, but tracks limit sustained 130 km/h bursts due to mixed traffic and maintenance gaps. Early seats, imported at ₹1 lakh each for comfort, gave way to cost-cut Indian versions—still viable if priced right.Debunking "fragile nose" jabs, he called the fiberglass front a safety buffer: it shatters on cattle hits to prevent derailments, unlike heavy locomotives. Pricier than Shatabdi (₹110-120 crore vs. ₹55 crore), fares reflect costs, not speed—yet passengers pay more for similar times.
On Vande Sleeper prototypes at BEML, ready by October, Shubhranshu termed it a "compromise": same shell, swapped berths for 6-8 hour routes needing no sleepers. "High-speed means day travel; long-hauls suit regulars," he argued, eyeing Delhi-Patna rumors amid Bihar polls.
In NewsStation Podcast "Bullet Train of India," former ICF Chief Mechanical Engineer Shubhranshu—architect of its design—blamed infrastructure, not engineering flaws. The prototype, birthed in a record 18 months under Sudhanshu Mani, hit 180 km/h in trials.
"We could do 200 km/h with tweaks," Shubhranshu revealed, but tracks limit sustained 130 km/h bursts due to mixed traffic and maintenance gaps. Early seats, imported at ₹1 lakh each for comfort, gave way to cost-cut Indian versions—still viable if priced right.Debunking "fragile nose" jabs, he called the fiberglass front a safety buffer: it shatters on cattle hits to prevent derailments, unlike heavy locomotives. Pricier than Shatabdi (₹110-120 crore vs. ₹55 crore), fares reflect costs, not speed—yet passengers pay more for similar times.
On Vande Sleeper prototypes at BEML, ready by October, Shubhranshu termed it a "compromise": same shell, swapped berths for 6-8 hour routes needing no sleepers. "High-speed means day travel; long-hauls suit regulars," he argued, eyeing Delhi-Patna rumors amid Bihar polls.
Re: Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)
Regarding the Sevok-Rangpo line to Sikkim, one novelty of this 44km line is that 39km will be tunnels. The second novelty is that the entire track will be ballastless like a Metro track built on a concrete foundation. Rahee Infra is the contractor awarded the task of building the ballastless track. Such tracks have low maintenance and will help combating landslides and so on. The second phase of the project if implemented envisages extending the line to Gangtok and onwards to Nathu La. I am not sure if a survey has been done for that. Also I am not sure if a decision has been taken on the line to Leh. At least that line is being constructed upto Blaspur(HP) and I am not sure if they are going to extend it to Mandi(HP). There was some issue with LA.
Contrary to whatever Vaishnaw and newsmedia is reporting, the Rishikesh to Karnaprayag line will NOT will not be completed by December 2026. There is a lot of work left and not a single km of track has been laid over the 125km route. Here is the position:
Rishikesh to Karnaprayag line 125km. 105km of tunneling. Due to the length of the tunnels, some tunnels by code need to have an accompanying escape tunnel. Escape tunnel length on this route is 79km. The current code is that any tunnel over 3km has to be accompanied by an escape tunnel. After the Silkyara tunnel cave in incident, the government is a doing a safety audit on all road and rail tunnels. However the 15km tunnel between Devaprayag and Jansu the longest tunnel in India is through since April 2025 on the Rishikesh--Karnaprayag line. But now the tunnel lining will take a long time. Many of the tunnels on this line have poor geology with soft sandstone and tunnel lining and so on will take a long time. For the 15km tunnel between Devaprayag and Jansu, I surmise no lining will be needed as I think they used a TBM which precludes the use of lining. The TBM was one of the biggest diameter one used in India, to cut a BG tunnel.
Currently 13/16 main tunnels are through with tunnel lining work taking place in them. 9/12 escape tunnels are through. About 2000m-3000m of tunneling is still left plus a significant amount of station works, earthworks and bridges left of which there are 35 major bridges on the line. Packages 1 & 3 are lagging significantly. My estimate is that the project will easily drag to 2029.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
After Modi and Xi kissed and made up at the SCO, I was hopeful that China would release the TBMs that were impounded at a Chinese port for the MAHSR bullet train project. The TBMs were to arive in March but were caught in the political situation between India and China. They are oversized TBMs. However, I see no news reports that the TBMs are in India and the High speed rail corporation has taken delivery of them. The tunnel construction is running late because of the unavailability of the TBMs and this delay may significantly impact the bullet train completion timeline.
The TBM has to be of big diameter as opposed to Metro since the bullet train tunnel will be single tube that will carry both the up and down line. Standard gauge no doubt( 1435mm) as opposed to IR BG( 1676mm), but the single tube that carries both tracks will force the tunnel to have a bigger diameter.
Contrary to whatever Vaishnaw and newsmedia is reporting, the Rishikesh to Karnaprayag line will NOT will not be completed by December 2026. There is a lot of work left and not a single km of track has been laid over the 125km route. Here is the position:
Rishikesh to Karnaprayag line 125km. 105km of tunneling. Due to the length of the tunnels, some tunnels by code need to have an accompanying escape tunnel. Escape tunnel length on this route is 79km. The current code is that any tunnel over 3km has to be accompanied by an escape tunnel. After the Silkyara tunnel cave in incident, the government is a doing a safety audit on all road and rail tunnels. However the 15km tunnel between Devaprayag and Jansu the longest tunnel in India is through since April 2025 on the Rishikesh--Karnaprayag line. But now the tunnel lining will take a long time. Many of the tunnels on this line have poor geology with soft sandstone and tunnel lining and so on will take a long time. For the 15km tunnel between Devaprayag and Jansu, I surmise no lining will be needed as I think they used a TBM which precludes the use of lining. The TBM was one of the biggest diameter one used in India, to cut a BG tunnel.
Currently 13/16 main tunnels are through with tunnel lining work taking place in them. 9/12 escape tunnels are through. About 2000m-3000m of tunneling is still left plus a significant amount of station works, earthworks and bridges left of which there are 35 major bridges on the line. Packages 1 & 3 are lagging significantly. My estimate is that the project will easily drag to 2029.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
After Modi and Xi kissed and made up at the SCO, I was hopeful that China would release the TBMs that were impounded at a Chinese port for the MAHSR bullet train project. The TBMs were to arive in March but were caught in the political situation between India and China. They are oversized TBMs. However, I see no news reports that the TBMs are in India and the High speed rail corporation has taken delivery of them. The tunnel construction is running late because of the unavailability of the TBMs and this delay may significantly impact the bullet train completion timeline.
The TBM has to be of big diameter as opposed to Metro since the bullet train tunnel will be single tube that will carry both the up and down line. Standard gauge no doubt( 1435mm) as opposed to IR BG( 1676mm), but the single tube that carries both tracks will force the tunnel to have a bigger diameter.