Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told Parliament on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project (508 km) is running fast, in which the foundation work has been completed in 406 km and the work of laying the track on the 127 km bridge has started.
The Union Minister said in the Lok Sabha that the other major works of the project which have been completed include pillars in 395 kilometers and girder casting and girder launching in more than 300 kilometers. The construction of overhead equipment masts has also started to provide electricity to engines.
Foundation work completed at 8 stations
Ashwini Vaishnav said that out of the total 12 stations, the foundation work has been completed on 8 stations (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati). The foundation work on 3 stations (Thane, Virar, Boisar) in Maharashtra section is in progress, excavation work at BKC station is almost going to be completed and base slab has started.
He said that construction of 16 river bridges has been completed, while work on 5 major river bridges (Narmada, Vishwamitri, Mahi, Tapti and Sabarmati) in Gujarat is in the final stages and work on four river bridges in Maharashtra is in progress. Work on the depot (Thane, Surat and Sabarmati) is in full swing. The only tunnel work in Gujarat has been completed. The work of the tunnel (about 21 km) below the sea has started, while the 4 km long tunnel between Ghansoli and Shilfata in Maharashtra has been completed.
Employment opportunities for people associated with construction
The Union Minister also informed that a total of Rs 78,839 crore has been spent on this project by June 30, 2025. The project has created employment opportunities for those associated with direct and indirectly construction, supplying various goods, construction materials, equipment and services. The bullet train project is very complex and technically intensive.
He further said that the exact time-limit and cost of completion of the project can be estimated only after the completion of all related works like civil structures, tracks, power, signaling and telecommunications and supply of trainSet.
Acquisition of land for project
The Union Minister also informed that the entire land of 1389.5 hectares has been acquired for the MAHSR project. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and all the forest related statutory approvals have been obtained. All civil contracts of the project have been provided. Out of a total of 28 tender packages, 24 tender packages have been provided. All 1,651 utilities have been transferred.
The Union Minister further said that Vande Bharat trains are semi-high-speed trains for the existing network and they have not been designed for the bullet train project. The bullet train project is designed for Japanese Shinkansen trains.
Construction of sleeper rake under Make in India initiative
He said that till now, 150 Vande Bharat trains with chair car are running on the broad gauge (BG) electrified network of Indian Railways. Apart from this, the introduction of new train services including Vande Bharat Train Service is a continuous process on Indian Railways. The Vande Bharat train sets have been designed and manufactured indigenously by Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. To expand these services to more routes, the construction work of 200 Vande Bharat Sleeper Reke is going on under the Make in India initiative.
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