Indian Railways to launch 1,000 new trains by 2030, will launch India's first bullet train in..., Ashwini Vaishnaw details ambitious plans

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced new plans and a major upgradation of Indian Railways as the biggest transportation network will undergo improvements like ramp up capacity, cost reduction and better passenger services. Railway Minister also said that the government is planning to introduce 1,000 new trains in the coming five years and begin operations of the bullet train by 2027.  

The Bullet Train project 

The latest and the most ambitious high-speed rail project of the Indian Railways is the bullet train, is being made with Japanese collaboration. The first prototype is expected to arrive in 2026, with an official launch to be made in 2027. The design and research, a major part of this project involves IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee. 

The bridge on the Daman Ganga River located in the Valsad district of Gujarat has been completed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. According to a release, this is the sixteenth river bridge completed out of the planned 21 river bridges in Gujarat for the project. All five river bridges located in Valsad district have now been completed.   

Railways’ ambitious plans   

Highlighting Indian Railways' progress, he informed that 35,000 kilometres of new railway lines had been laid in the last 11 years--many times more than the achievements of previous governments. These efforts not only strengthen infrastructure but also accelerate economic and social development. With this feat, the Railways is on par with Germany’s entire rail network. Under the ambitious blueprint, the Railways aim to upgrade urban connectivity, lessen carbon emissions, and make India a global leader in sustainable rail transport, to make the vision of eco-friendly and equitable cities a reality. 

Talking about the recent achievements, Vaishnaw said, “In one year alone, we added 5,300 km,” he further mentioned that 30,000 wagons and 1,500 locomotives are being manufactured yearly to surpass the combined output of North America and Europe. “Investment in railways has jumped from Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 2.52 lakh crore, with an additional Rs 20,000 crore from PPPs,” he said.  

The Ministry is also focusing on logistics, the area in which it sees more scope for transformative change. “Railways offer freight transport at less than half the cost per tonne-km compared to highways and are 95% more environment-friendly,” Vaishnaw said.