India's home-built bullet train set to surpass 250 km per hour: Report

India’s home-built bullet train set to surpass 250 km per hour: Report

India has started developing an indigenously built bullet train capable of surpassing the speed of 250 kilometres per hour (kmph), a senior government official told The Economic Times. This train, built on the Vande Bharat platform and capable of reaching up to 220 kmph, will exceed the velocity of any current Indian Railways trains.

Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai is designing the train, integrating domestic technology and manufacturing. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has completed pier work and land acquisition.

The planned bullet trains will use Japanese technology, specifically the Shinkansen E5 series, capable of reaching speeds of 320 kmph, for the Ahmedabad to Mumbai route. The focus has been on enhancing the speed of the Indian Railways trains, with the proposed Vande Bharat trains showcasing improved acceleration compared to existing bullet trains.

The made-in-India bullet trains will operate on recently announced north, south, and east corridors, using more indigenous technology and manufacturing.

These initiatives will complement the Western Corridor developed with Japanese collaboration. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing financial support for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, with the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) overseeing its implementation. NHSRCL has announced the completion of 300km of pier work and finalised land acquisition for the entire 508 km stretch in January.