Will the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train justify its cost and timeline?
India's first high-speed rail corridor, spanning 508 kilometres between Mumbai and Ahmedabad with a design speed of 350 km/h, continues construction toward completion. Large infrastructure projects of this scale carry both genuine transformative potential for regional connectivity and a track record, in India and elsewhere, of timeline and cost overruns. Whether the project delivers on its original promise will only be fully clear once it opens and ridership numbers come in.
The corridor spans 508 kilometres and is designed for speeds up to 350 km/h.
Construction has continued to progress, with sections of the project reaching various completion milestones.
High-speed rail projects globally have frequently experienced cost and timeline overruns relative to original plans.