The first look of India’s proposed bullet train, slated to run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, has been unveiled at the Ministry of Railways in New Delhi, offering a glimpse into the ambitious project.
A picture of the high-speed train set has been installed at Gate Number 4 of the Ministry of Railways building. The display showcases the design of the train.
“A picture of the country’s first proposed bullet train has been displayed at the Ministry of Railways. The picture has been installed at Gate Number 4,” the Indian Railways said in a statement cited by news agency ANI.
The proposed bullet train is expected to become India’s first high-speed rail service.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor is scheduled to be launched on August 15, 2027. Once operational, the train is expected to drastically reduce travel time between the two major cities to around two hours.
The first glimpse of India’s debut bullet train surfaced a day after the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) cutterhead has been lowered at Vikhroli in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs for the construction of a tunnel as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
The 13.6-metre diameter cutterhead, weighing 350 tonnes, which was lowered on Sunday, marks the final stage in the primary assembly of the TBM’s main shield for the high-speed rail corridor project, an official release by the NHSRCL said.
Two TBMs, each weighing over 3,000 tonnes, are being assembled for the construction of a 16-km section of the 21-km-long Mumbai tunnel. The stretch includes a 7-km undersea tunnel beneath Thane Creek, which will be India’s first undersea rail tunnel, the release added.
“The TBMs are the largest machines deployed so far for rail tunnel construction in the country. The cutterhead has been designed to excavate a single tunnel large enough to accommodate both the up and down lines of the bullet train corridor. The 350-tonne component arrived at the site in five separate shipments and was assembled using around 1,600 kg of high-precision welding,” an NHSRCL statement was quoted as saying by PTI.
A stretch from Vikhroli to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), approximately 6-km-long, will be carved out using the TBM, per the release. The tunnel will pass beneath densely populated urban areas and the Mithi river before reaching the under-construction Mumbai bullet train station at BKC.
Source: India Today
