Bullet train project in India: BEML, the PSU which is manufacturing India’s first bullet train, is expected to roll out the first car body by August. The indigenously-developed . The facility was inaugurated by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on April 25, 2026.
In a statement, Shantanu Roy, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BEML, said the company expects to roll out the first car body shell by August and aims to unveil the first trainset early next year.
“”We expected that the first car body will be out by August, the car body shell and we are trying to get the first train at the beginning of the next year, next calendar year,” he said.
Roy added that once the trainset is ready, it will be moved to the depot (which is being developed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), for testing and trial runs.
“So that it will then go to the Surat Depot and after that it will undergo extensive testing. Before going there itself, will undergo extensive testing at our works and then Depot testing at Surat and then testing on the main line. So that it will go for four, five, six months. All the tests are already identified,” the BEML CMD said.
The . The defence PSU was awarded the contract in October 2024 by -based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to design, manufacture and commission two high-speed trainsets.
Initially, the national transporter has planned to roll out the B28 bullet train between Surat and Vapi. The 97-km-long stretch is part of the – bullet train project, which the Railways aims to make operational by August 2027.
“A decision has been taken to start the operation using B28. Efforts are underway to start operation using B28 (Bharat made Bullet, 280 kmph) for Surat to Vapi (97km) in Aug 2027,” the Ministry of Railways said in an earlier statement.
