350 km/h bullet train to rival Japan's E10 series; 'B35' project set for completion by 2030

NEW DELHI: India is pacing ahead with an aim to make high-speed train projects a reality. High-speed rail networks are expanding rapidly across the globe, with China and Japan already poised to introduce revolutionary technological advancements. Already on the verge to introduce their first high-speed train, India has also initiated another bullet train project capable of reaching speeds of 350 km/h.

According to a Times of India report, India plans to independently develop and manufacture high-speed trains capable of speeds of 350 km/h—known as the 'B35'—by 2030. The report states that these trains will be comparable to the E10 series trains developed by Japan. The 508-kilometre-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is scheduled for completion by December 2030.

In a first-phase operation, the railways will open a section of the route in 2027. Trains capable of reaching up to 280 km/h are being manufactured for this purpose. Initially, 28 trains will operate on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, though their maximum speed will be limited to 249 km/h. These details emerged as part of a proposal by the Ministry of Railways seeking approval for the revised cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed ​​Rail project.

The Cabinet approved a revised project cost exceeding Rs 2 lakh crore. Efforts are underway to cover the additional expenditure—resulting from an increase of approximately Rs 1 lakh crore in the project cost. Times of India reported that the Ministry of Railways informed the Cabinet of the initiation of work to develop 'B35' trains, following Japan's announcement that it would phase out the production of the existing E5 series trains by December 2024.