New Delhi: The Union government on Wednesday stated that ₹86,939 crore has been spent on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project so far. The information was shared in the Lok Sabha in reply to a question regarding project costs, progress, and operational aspects of the Ahmedabad–Mumbai High Speed Rail Corridor and Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC).

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, “Ministry of Railways has taken up construction of two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) viz. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) from Ludhiana to Sonnagar (1337 Km) and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri (1506 Km) at a total cost of ₹ 1,24,005 Cr. The work on EDFC has been completed and commissioned. In WDFC, 1404 RKm out of total 1506 RKm has been completed and commissioned. The balance work on WDFC from Vaitarna-JNPT section (102 Rkm) has been taken up.”

He further noted the operational impact of the freight corridors, saying, “DFC has contributed to creating additional paths on the conventional network by diverting freight traffic to EDFC and WDFC. Presently, 406 average trains per day are being run on these corridors.”

On the bullet train project, the minister said, “The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project (508 km) is the only HSR Project under execution with technical and financial assistance from Government of Japan. Expenditure amounting to ₹ 86,939/- crore has been incurred on the project till 31.12.2025.”

Highlighting the complexity of the project, he added, “Bullet train project is a very complex and technology intensive Project. Considering the highest level of safety and associated maintenance protocols, Bullet train project has been designed with the support of Japanese railway. It is customized for Indian requirements and climatic conditions. The final cost of the project can be reasonably ascertained only after the completion of all associated works of Civil Structures, Track, Electrical, Signalling, Telecommunication and supply of Trainsets.”

Regarding operations and fares, the minister said, “The MAHSR corridor is designed for high-frequency operations with substantial passenger-carrying capacity. Ticket pricing is proposed to be competitive with respect to existing rail/air travel options.” DeshGujarat