Govt plans to run Vande Bharat trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train route

After missing the deadline, India is now looking to run indigenous high-speed Vande Bharat trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train route. A tender has been issued for the signalling system on the 508 km rail corridor.

India’s ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project constructed at a cost of Rs 1.08 lakh crore has missed its initial Aug 2022 deadline and delays continue as talks between India and Japan reached an impasse over the import of train sets to run over 320 kmph. The route was constructed to run Japanese Shinkansen trains.

“It is sad that we plan to run Vande Bharat on the track for the Japanese bullet. There has been so much investment that has happened for Japanese technology and now it is delayed for the increase in the cost of rolling stocks … doesn’t make much sense,” said a top railway official, who earlier served in the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL).

The NHSRCL has this month invited bids for the critical signalling and telecommunication system for the route. It includes end-to-end design, installation and commissioning of the high-speed rail line signalling and telecommunication infrastructure.

The signalling tender has been delayed due to ongoing issues with Japan on finalisation of the rolling stock contract. The latest tender provides limited details calling for potential bidders to sign a non-disclosure agreement to get more details.

The NHSRCL's latest tender is for the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 for running high-speed Vande Bharat at 280 kmph. However, as per the original plan, the signalling system was to be advanced Digital Shinkansen- Automatic Train Control (DS-ATC) technology.

According to sources, after high-level discussions in the government, it was decided to go ahead with the ETCS. It is now used for the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail.

Japan and India have been holding talks on the matter. Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw held talks with the government and officials during his visit to Japan in September 2024.

There have been reports that the Japanese bullet train could only be possible by 2032 and NHSRCL wants to use the constructed infrastructure for running Vande Bharat. Last year, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) issued bids for two trains set of speed 280 kmph and BEML bagged the Rs 866 crore order.

The plan is to run the high-speed Vande Bharat on the route by 2026.