Gandhinagar: India’s first high-speed rail project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is moving forward, with the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) issuing a single tender to BEML Limited for the design, manufacturing, testing and maintenance of trainsets.

The single tender, issued on February 28, 2026, has been awarded to BEML Limited, a Schedule ‘A’ public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence. The company is engaged in manufacturing and services across defence, railways, energy, mining and infrastructure sectors.

Under the tender, BEML will be responsible for the end-to-end execution of the trainset package, including design, production, testing, commissioning (making the trains operational), and long-term maintenance. The move aligns with the Centre’s push for self-reliance and the development of indigenous high-speed train technology.

508-km Ahmedabad–Mumbai high-speed corridor

The Ahmedabad–Mumbai bullet train project, India’s first high-speed rail corridor, spans 508 km. Of this, 352 km falls in Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, while 156 km lies in Maharashtra.

The corridor will have 12 stations: Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane and Mumbai.

Seven new high-speed corridors announced

In the Union Budget 2026–27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced seven new high-speed rail corridors to boost connectivity. These include Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Hyderabad–Chennai, Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, and Varanasi–Siliguri.

The proposed corridors aim to enhance connectivity across regions and promote an environment-friendly, sustainable passenger transport system, while accelerating urban and economic development. DeshGujarat