India-made bullet train to hit tracks for testing by May-June 2027: Vaishnaw in Vadodara

Vadodara: The body frame of India’s first domestically manufactured bullet train has been completed, with testing of the train expected to begin on the tracks by May 2027, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.

Vaishnaw made the announcement at the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ event in Vadodara, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated, laid foundation stones for and dedicated development projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore to the nation.

The projects included three key sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), along with railway and highway projects and various Gujarat government initiatives.

Vaishnaw said the body frame of the indigenous bullet train had been completed “just the day before yesterday” and had been sent for a squeeze test.

Watch: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says, “…By May or June of next year, India’s own bullet train will be on the tracks for testing. After a testing period of 2–4 months, the bullet train will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister himself. When you ride the bullet train… pic.twitter.com/MPO8flqxVC

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) September 8, 2026

He said India’s own bullet train was expected to hit the tracks for testing by May or June next year. Following a testing period of two to four months, the train would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, he added.

The minister also said the bullet train would significantly reduce travel time, with passengers travelling between Vadodara and Mumbai expected to cover the distance in around 1.5 hours.

Vaishnaw also highlighted the completion of the Dedicated Freight Corridor connecting Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT). He said the project had been conceived alongside the Golden Quadrilateral during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

According to Vaishnaw, when the Modi government came to power in 2014, not a single kilometre of work on the Freight Corridor had been completed. He said issues related to funding, design and land acquisition were subsequently resolved, allowing the project to progress. DeshGujarat