India's First Bullet Train, Shinkansen's Trial Runs Begin In Japan, Train Sets To Be Shipped To India In Early 2026 | Watch

Japan: The trial run of India's first bullet train, set to operate between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, has begun in Japan. The construction of one of the nation’s flagship railway projects is progressing at full speed along the Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor. As the development advances, the trial run of the Shinkansen bullet train has officially commenced in Japan.

According to reports, Japan is gifting two Shinkansen bullet trains to India for the country’s first bullet train project. The test run for the high-speed rail is now being fine-tuned to withstand tough weather conditions.

The train involved in the trial runs are E3 series L67 of Shinkansen, for India’s first bullet train project. The test runs in Japan are prepping for harsh conditions in India like heat, dust and speed.

The India bound Shinkansen E3 series L67 Shinkansen train took part in the test run recently in Sendai on the main line at all inspection stations.

After inspection in Sendai and transfer to Niigata, it will be shipped via Niigata Port and is expected to arrive in India early next year, 2026.

In 2026, two train sets — one E3 and one E5 — will arrive in Bharat for trial runs on the 50 km Surat–Bilimora section. The initial test runs are planned for 2026 between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train corridor | What we know 

• India’s first bullet train is being constructed between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The total length of the high speed rail corridor is 508 kms.
• Out of the 508 kms, 348 km is in Gujarat and 156 in Maharashtra. 21 km section will be underground, 7 kms will pass through a sea tunnel and 5 km through mountain tunnel.
• The top speed on India’s first bullet train corridor will be 320 km per hour.
• The train will pass from 12 stations including Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi in Gujarat and Boisar, Virar, Thane and Mumbai in Maharashtra.
• The estimated time that the bullet train will take to cover the distance between Ahmedabad and Mumbai as per the corridor plan is 2 hours 58 minutes.
• The stations falling on the bullet train project will have facilities like ample seating, clear signage, high quality restrooms, nurseries and baggage lockers.
• Other facilities will include first class passengers exclusive business lounges, wheelchair friendly designs, tactile tiles for visually impaired passengers, dedicated washrooms for special abled commuters.