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India's first high-speed railway: underground station 100 meters deep, tunnel under the sea
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India's first high-speed railway: underground station 100 meters deep, tunnel under the sea

Preparations for the launch of India's first high-speed railway are in full swing, including work on tracks, bridges, and railway stations. The Bullet Train is expected to begin operating on the high-speed route in 2027. Transport Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on social media that India's first high-speed railway is taking concrete shape.

He detailed the railway stations being prepared for the high-speed train service, as well as the underwater tunnel. Specifically, a station is being built in Mumbai located 100 feet underground, and a 7-kilometer tunnel under the sea is being created through which the Bullet Train will pass.

The Transport Minister shared project details in a post on the social media platform Twitter (now X). He emphasized that India's first high-speed railway is no longer just an announcement; it is a 508 km construction project that is progressing at full speed. The first operation is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027. The Bullet Train will first run on the high-speed route between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

According to the minister's statement, construction of the high-speed railway station is underway in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) area of Mumbai, situated about 100 feet (approximately 32 meters) below ground level. This underground station is a unique engineering achievement located in the heart of Mumbai's business district. Three levels are being prepared for this station: the platform, concourse, and service area. Six platforms are planned, each exceeding 400 meters in length.

Several kilometers from this underground station, under Thane Creek, India's first underwater railway tunnel system is being constructed using a rock-cutting machine. This is the tunnel through which the Bullet Train will travel at high speed. According to the minister, the high-speed rail corridor in Maharashtra passes through a 21 km tunnel, with 7 km of it located underwater under Thane Creek, making it India's first underwater railway tunnel system.

The post also noted that two tunnel boring machines were launched in Viroli and Savli in July 2026. These machines are among the largest ever used in India. Each machine is equipped with a 13.6-meter diameter cutter head, equivalent to the height of a four-story building. The weight of each machine exceeds 3000 tons, equivalent to approximately 500 Asian elephants. The length of each machine is 96 meters, comparable to five cricket fields.

At full speed, the Bullet Train will reach a speed of 320 kilometers per hour, and between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, it will travel at an average speed of about 300 kilometers per hour starting next year. The 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor passes through the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and includes 12 major stops. These include: Mumbai (BKC), Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bhuchar, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.

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Indian Railways announces launch of 11 pairs of special trains for Uttar Pradesh-Bihar region
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Indian Railways announces launch of 11 pairs of special trains for Uttar Pradesh-Bihar region

Indian Railways has made an important announcement for the residents of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In connection with upcoming holidays, 11 pairs of special trains are planned to be launched, which will provide significant assistance to people living in different parts of the country, allowing them to reach their hometowns for festivals such as Dussehra, Diwali, and Chhath Puja, while also increasing the chances of securing confirmed tickets.

Sarawati Chandra, DSP of East Central Railway, stated that to reduce additional load during festivals like Diwali and Chhath, the railway company is operating a series of special trains. These trains will connect major cities, including Gubbali, Bangalore, Nagpur, Udhana, Amritsar, Delhi, Gorakhpur, and Tata.

Train No. 07315/07316, running on the Gubbali-Muzaffarpur-Gubbali Special route, will operate from October 13 to November 24. It departs from Gubbali every Tuesday at 16:45 and arrives in Pune at 04:45 on Wednesday, making stops at other stations. On Thursday, it arrives in DIDDU at 08:30, then stops at Baksar, Are, Danapur, Patliputra, and Hajipur, reaching Muzaffarpur at 14:30.

The return train No. 07316 Muzaffarpur-Gubbali Special will run from October 16 to November 27 every Friday. It departs from Muzaffarpur at 08:40 and stops at Hajipur, Patliputra, Danapur, Are, Baksar, and DIDDU before arriving in Pune at 19:40 on Saturday and in Gubbali at 07:30 on Sunday.

Train No. 06581/06582, running between Yashwantpur-Saharsa-Yashwantpur (Bangalore) Special, will operate from October 11 to November 29. Train No. 06581 departs from Yashwantpur (Bangalore) every Sunday at 07:00 and passes through several stations, including DIDDU, Baksar, Ar, Danapur, Patliputra, Sonpur, Hajipur, and Muzaffarpur, arriving in Saharsa at 20:20.

Conversely, Train No. 06582 Saharsa-Yashwantpur (Bangalore) Special will operate from 14.10.2026 to 02.12.2026 on Wednesdays. It departs from Saharsa at 05:55 and stops at various stations, including Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mansi, Khagdia, Salauna, Hasanpur Road, Samstipur, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Sonpur, Patliputra, Danapur, Are, and Baksar, arriving in Yashwantpur at 16:00 on Friday.

Train No. 01207/01208, running between Nagpur-Samstipur-Nagpur Special, will operate from October 21 to November 11. Train No. 01207 departs from Nagpur at 10:40 on Wednesday and stops at various stations, including Sonpur, Hajipur, and Muzaffarpur, reaching Samstipur at 23:45.

The return train No. 01208 Samstipur-Gorakhpur Special will run from 23.10.2026 to 13.11.2026 every Friday. It departs from Samstipur at 03:00 and stops at Muzaffarpur and Hajipur, arriving in Bhopal at 03:20 on Saturday and in Nagpur at 11:30.

Train No. 04640/04639, running between Chekharta (Amritsar)-Muzaffarpur-Chekharta (Amritsar) Special, will operate from October 19 to November 30. Train No. 04640 departs from Chekharta at 08:35 on Monday and stops at Amritsar, then at Bagha, Narkatiaganj, Betia, and Saguli, arriving in Muzaffarpur at 13:10.

The return train No. 04639 Muzaffarpur-Chekharta Special will run from October 20 to December 01 on Tuesdays. It departs from Muzaffarpur at 16:00 and stops at Saguli, Betia, Narkatiaganj, and Bagha before arriving in Amritsar at 21:00 the next day and in Chekharta at 21:30.

Train No. 04652/04651, running between Amritsar-Jaiyangar-Amritsar Special, will operate from October 16 to November 29. Train No. 04652 departs from Amritsar every Friday, Sunday, and Wednesday at 10:55 and stops at various stations, including Delhi, before arriving in Jaiyangar at 20:00 the next day. The return train No. 04651 Jaiyangar-Amritsar Special will operate from 18.10.2026 to 01.12.2026 every Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday. It departs from Jaiyangar at 04:15 and stops at Madubni, Darbanga, Samstipur, and Muzaffarpur, arriving in Amritsar at 15:00.

Train No. 05633/05634, running between Narangi-Gorakhpur-Narangi Special, was also mentioned, but no further details were provided in the text.

Construction of a new railway branch will allow bypassing Patna for freight trains and reduce the load on the Delhi-Howrah route
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Construction of a new railway branch will allow bypassing Patna for freight trains and reduce the load on the Delhi-Howrah route

An important step has been taken in Bihar aimed at reducing the congestion of trains passing through Patna and increasing the speed of rail traffic. Currently, an alternative railway route is being prepared that allows freight trains to bypass Patna.

The competent authority has granted permission for the operation of a new 20-kilometer railway line running from Neura to Jatdumri. This will reduce the need for freight trains to pass through Patna and help free up space for passenger trains on the busy railway line.

Currently, both passenger and freight trains run simultaneously on the Danapur-Patna-Kiul-Jhajha railway line. This section is a critically important part of the main Delhi-Howrah railway connection, where high traffic intensity is observed. Providing a separate alternative route for freight trains will help reduce the pressure on this main route.

The full benefit of the new line will be achieved after the commissioning of the entire 42-kilometer Neura-Daniyawan project. After this, freight trains will be able to travel through Neura, Daniyawan, Biharsharif, Barbiga, Shekpura, and Kiul, bypassing the congested Patna railway line.

Before granting permission for the Neura-Jatdumri line, it was inspected by the railway safety commissioner. According to railway data, a train test was conducted on this section on October 8 at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Permission for railway operation was granted after checking all safety standards. This 20-kilometer section is part of the larger Neura-Daniyawan new railway line project, which is overseen by the Danapur East Central Railway Division. The project is being implemented in two phases: the first phase included the construction of the 22.74-kilometer Jatdumri-Daniyawan section, where train movement is already taking place. Now, with approval for the Neura-Jatdumri section, the project has moved forward.

The benefit of this project is not limited to freight transport. According to Saraswati Chandra, Chief Public Relations Officer of the East Central Railway, the new line will help create additional capacity on the busy Danapur-Patna-Kiul-Jhajha route for additional passenger trains. When an alternative route for freight carriers becomes available, some space will be freed up on the existing route. This may contribute to an increase in the number of passenger trains in the future. However, the railway has not yet announced specific dates for the start of additional passenger train services.

For passenger convenience on the new railway line, one new station and three halts have been built. A station at Gonpura was created between Neura and Jatdumri. Additionally, halts were equipped in Adpa, Chamachak, and Wajidpur. Neura station is located on the Patna-Ara section, and Jatdumri station is on the Patna-Gaya section. Various structures were also erected during the construction of the new line to ensure uninterrupted movement of both rail and road transport.

Three large bridges and 16 small bridges have been built on the Neura-Jatdumri section. Five low-clearance tunnels, two overground road bridges, and 12 underground road bridges have also been constructed. A structure allowing one railway track to cross another has also been created on this section. The goal of these construction works is to create the necessary infrastructure for the safe and uninterrupted operation of the railway line.

Obtaining permission for the operation of the Neura-Jatdumri section is a significant step for the project. However, the full benefit of the alternative route for freight trains bypassing Patna will only be available after the launch of the entire 42-kilometer Neura-Daniyawan line. As of now, the completion date for the entire project has not been set. Upon its completion, it is expected that freight transport will be shifted to alternative routes, ensuring better capacity for both freight and passenger rail services.

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