Indigenous bullet train: Experts back move, urge tests before scale-up

While welcoming the move to indigenously develop bullet trains capable of a maximum speed of 250 kmph, experts have also cautioned the Railway Ministry that scaling up production before testing the prototype could be risky. Their cautionary note follows reports that the Ministry will soon award a tender for more trains. In a push to the 'Made-In-India' initiatives, the Ministry in 2024 awarded a contract to Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) to develop one pair of 250 kmph bullet trains by 2027. The Ministry recently informed a parliamentary panel that the first pair of Bharat-made Bullet Trains, named B28, will operate on the 508-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. Its first phase is expected to open in August 2027 on a 97-km stretch from Surat to Vapi. The corridor is being constructed with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to operate Japanese-made 320 km/h bullet trains using Japanese signalling technology. The Ministry .