Railways Minister says the first bullet train to run by 2026

16 Mar 2023 CW Team

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, claimed that the bullet train project would be completed by August 2026. However, he claimed that the hyperloop technology is still 7-8 years away. The minister acknowledged that there had been some problems in Maharashtra that had caused the project's early delays, but that they had been rectified by the state’s new administration. He stated that 154 pillars for the bullet train have been done in one and a half years to emphasise how quickly the construction was completed.

He responded that the administration has established a goal date of August 2026 for the country to expect the first bullet train. “The government is targeting August 2026 for running first bullet train. The goal is to run the bullet train on a larger section in 2027,” said the minister.

The minister acknowledged the potential of the hyperloop, but added that, "If speaking realistically, the technology is still seven to eight years away.” On the rail budget, he stated that, “it is historic and is going to radically impact the productivity of India's economy in 2023.”

Vaishnaw, who is also in charge of the Ministry of Communication, also emphasised India's technological advancements. As comparison to ten years ago, he claimed, practically all mobile phones are now made in India. He claimed that the semiconductor industry is a recent development in India and that the government is in communication with all relevant parties to advance the sector.

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

Cabinet Approves Key Highway and Rail Projects in Bihar Region

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the four-laning of the 84.2-km Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur high-speed corridor, a key industrial region in poll-bound Bihar. The Cabinet also sanctioned the doubling of the 177-km Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat railway line, which passes through Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, at a cost of Rs 31.7 billion.The Rs 44.5 billion highway project will be constructed under the hybrid annuity model, a variant of public-private partnership. The Mokama-Munger stretch was the only remaining two-lane section of the 363-km Buxar-Bhagalpur corridor. Fou..

NGT Issues Notice on Bengaluru Twin Tunnel Project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices in response to a petition filed by Bengaluru Praja Vedike and others, challenging the Bengaluru twin tunnel road project. Petitioners claim the project was “hastily announced” and bypassed mandatory environmental impact assessment procedures.Notices have been served to the Karnataka Government, Greater Bengaluru Authority, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and project consultants.The 16.74-km twin-tube..

India’s Residential Sales to Dip Slightly in FY26

Residential sales in India’s seven major cities are projected to decline by up to 3 per cent year-on-year in FY26 to 620–640 million square feet (msf), amid a moderation in sales velocity, according to ratings agency Icra.In FY25, sales stood at 643 msf, down 8 per cent YoY, following a sharp contraction in new launches and moderated demand in the affordable and mid-income segments. This slowdown came after the sector posted a robust compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent in area sales between FY22 and FY24.Icra noted: “Having seen a strong upcycle, the sector entered an equilibrium ..