India Begins Construction on Home-built Bullet Train

19 Apr 2024 CW Team

India has commenced the construction of a domestically manufactured bullet train that is set to surpass speeds of 250 kilometers per hour (kmph) outspacing all existing trains within the Indian Railways network.

It is being built on the Vande Bharat platform that can already clock a maximum speed of 220 kmph.

The designs for this groundbreaking initiative are being crafted at the Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory (ICF) situated in Chennai.

Globally, high-speed trains are categorized as those that operate at speeds exceeding 250 kmph, exemplified by renowned models like the French TGV and the Japanese Shinkansen.

India has opted for Japanese technology for the bullet trains designated for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai line currently under construction. The selected Shinkansen E5 series bullet trains boast a top speed of 320 kmph.

So far, the focus has been on enhancing the speed capabilities of Indian Railways trains. The (proposed) variant Vande Bharat trains can now reach from zero to 100 kmph in 52 seconds while the existing bullet trains do this in 54 seconds.

ICF, the force behind the indigenously developed Vande Bharat trains, will oversee the production of the made-in-India bullet trains. These trains will traverse the recently announced north, south, and east corridors, employing more Indian technology and domestic manufacturing, as stated by the official.

These endeavors will complement the Western Corridor, developed with Japanese collaboration and technology. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) extends a soft loan of approximately ?400 billion for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project.

National High-Speed Rail Corp. Ltd (NHSRCL), the implementing body of the bullet train project, recently reported the completion of 300 km of pier work. Land acquisition for the entire 508 km stretch was successfully concluded in January.

Equipment

11 Dec 2025

Caterpillar Debuts Three New Cat Excavators at EXCON 2025

Caterpillar Inc., a global leader in construction and mining machinery, strengthened its commitment to India’s infrastructure growth with the debut of three new Cat® hydraulic excavators at EXCON 2025, held from December 9–13 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre. The new models—Cat 321, Cat 322 and Cat 324—mark a significant step forward in delivering efficient, digital-ready equipment tailored for India’s evolving construction needs.Designed to support sustainability and productivity on modern jobsites, the machines feature advanced powertrains and intelligent electrohy..

JK Tyre Expands OTR Lineup with Four New Launches at EXCON 2025

JK Tyre & Industries, one of India’s leading tyre manufacturers, introduced four new Off-the-Road (OTR) tyres at the 13th edition of CII EXCON 2025, South Asia’s largest construction equipment exhibition, underway at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre. The latest additions strengthen the company’s OTR portfolio and reaffirm its focus on delivering advanced mobility solutions for construction, mining and industrial operations.The new tyres were unveiled by R Mukhopadhyay, Director (R&D), JK Tyre. Among the highlights was the debut of the SKY GRIP, a specialised tyre des..

ACE, Sanghvi Movers Ink MOU to Boost India-Made Heavy Crane Adoption

Action Construction Equipment (ACE), the world’s largest pick-and-carry crane manufacturer and a leading Indian construction equipment maker, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Sanghvi Movers, Asia’s largest and the world’s fifth-largest crane rental company. The partnership aims to accelerate the deployment of indigenously manufactured heavy slew cranes, particularly truck cranes and crawler cranes, across large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects in India.The alliance aligns strongly with the Government of India’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” and “M..