India and Japan agree on 2027 target for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project

Key facts

• Japan has backed India's target to start commercial operations on priority sections of the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor by 2027.
• The MAHSR project utilizes Shinkansen technology with trains designed for a maximum speed of 350 kmph and expected commercial operations at 320 kmph.
• The corridor connects 12 stations: Mumbai (BKC), Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.
• The project includes India's first undersea railway tunnel, with a 7-km section passing beneath Thane Creek using a combination of the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) and Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs).
• The government aims to build a 7,000-km national high-speed rail network, with the Union Budget 2026-27 announcing seven additional corridors, including Delhi-Varanasi, Chennai-Bengaluru, and Mumbai-Pune, spanning nearly 4,000 km with an estimated investment of ₹16 lakh crore.
• A dedicated High-Speed Rail Training Institute has been established in Vadodara to develop domestic expertise in bullet train technology.
• The India-Japan Governors' Network for Friendship and Exchange includes partnerships between: Yamanashi Prefecture and Uttar Pradesh, Toyama Prefecture and Andhra Pradesh, Shizuoka Prefecture and Gujarat, Hamamatsu City and Ahmedabad, Wakayama Prefecture and Maharashtra, San'in Region and Kerala, Ehime Prefecture and Tamil Nadu, Fukuoka Prefecture and Delhi, and Kitakyushu City and Telangana.