Why India making its own bullet trains is a big deal – explained

Come 2027 and India may launch its first bullet train service. The Surat–Bilimora section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is expected to be operational by August 2027. While that will put it into a league of few countries that have high-speed rail networks, one of the biggest takeaways is the engineering leap that India is taking with the project. The trains that will run on India’s first bullet train corridor will be manufactured indigenously. And that will be a feat for India’s engineering capabilities. India is looking at a two-phased step up for its learning curve in making a bullet train – the first set will be for speeds of 280 kmph, and eventually later train sets will have 350 kmph capabilities.So, why is India’s ambition to make its own bullet trains a milestone? How does bullet train manufacturing differ from what Indian Railways already makes? We take a look:

‘Make in India’ bullet train project

A Rs 866.87 crore contract has been awarded to BEML Limited by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai for manufacturing two prototype bullet train or high-speed train sets that will be capable of achieving speeds of over 250 kmph. The design speed of the trains will be 280 kmph.The contract is for design, manufacturing, and commissioning of two high-speed trainsets that will have eight coaches each. The rollout timelines are for 2027 and sources told TOI that the designs are currently being finalized.

The bullet trains will be fully air-conditioned chair cars with world-class passenger amenities, advanced onboard infotainment systems, reclining and rotatable seats, and dedicated amenities for divyangjans.A dedicated ‘Aditya’ High-Speed Rail Complex has been built by BEML for manufacturing the bullet trains in Bengaluru.Codenamed B-28 train sets, the high-speed train will be made using advanced precision-driven technologies. Globally bullet trains, especially those that run in Europe and Japan, are engineered to handle cold climates. For India, heat and dust will be taken into account and the train set will be manufactured accordingly.For now, Indian Railways is looking to manufacture stainless steel bullet trains. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has already announced that the next set of bullet trains will be manufactured for speeds of 350 kmph.Sources told TOI that for speeds of over 300 kmph, aluminium train sets would be manufactured in India which would be another first.So, why is the project to make its own bullet train significant for Indian Railways?

Bullet Trains: The Engineering Leap

Experts have called this project an engineering leap for India. Manufacturing bullet trains involves an entirely different set of capabilities compared to the traditional LHB coaches that India currently makes.To put it simply, building a bullet train is not just about achieving higher speeds. Engineers need to design the train in a way that travels smoothly at such speeds, the train needs to be strong but with a lightweight body, it needs to have advanced wheels and suspension for a smooth and stable ride. The train control systems need to be far more advanced for safe operations and to keep passengers comfortable despite sudden air-pressure changes. India needs to master technologies such as developing powerful motors and the software that controls the train, produce or at least critically adapt world-class braking systems, and designing trains that can safely handle crashes and cut through the air efficiently.

Another major hurdle is the lack of a dedicated high-speed testing track, which is essential to thoroughly test trains before they carry passengers. These are significant challenges, but experts believe they can be overcome as India gains experience through its bullet train programme.Sudhanshu Mani, architect of Vande Bharat & former GM of ICF believes that the development of a high-speed train set, albeit at the threshold level of 250 kmph, itself is an engineering milestone.“This would cover making an aerodynamic car body design for head pressure pulses, next-generation bogies & suspension for advanced dampening to cater to high-frequency vibrations and ride stability, advanced propulsion systems with reliable versatile TCMS (Train Control Management System) software and pressurised coach interiors to name a few areas of major focus,” he explains.Then there are other aspects like lightweight construction, energy efficiency, noise management, and the mitigation of compression and expansion air waves during tunnel transits or train pass-byes.

Ensuring pressure comfort and absolute cabin sealing obviously requires a complete upgrade of manufacturing facilities. “Although Indian Railways has, sadly, not gone for the prevalent aluminium coaches, which would require a separate modern assembly line and a completely different supply chain for extrusions and sections, even a stainless steel high-speed train demands extensive upgrades,” he says.Eventually with plans for aluminium train sets, India is eyeing another leap.According to Aniket Dani, Director, Crisil Intelligence, lightweight aluminium extrusions, high-speed coaches, distributed traction systems, regenerative braking, active suspension, aerodynamic nose design and onboard diagnostics will be big achievements. “At 320 kmph, a train covers nearly 89 metres per second, making signalling and control systems mission-critical. India aims to move from technology transfer to indigenous design, testing, certification and manufacturing of high-speed rolling stock” he tells TOI.

Benefits of Making Bullet Trains in India

Cost advantage is a major benefit of the project. Experts believe an indigenous train will cost much less compared to acquiring a foreign train set. According to Sudhanshu Mani, indigenous high-speed trains will cost less than half of a similar imported train set.

And then there is the export potential.“This production model will establish a robust local manufacturing ecosystem and supply chain for modern railroad engineering. Once proven across the domestic network, this technology carries excellent potential for export to middle-income nations,” Mani tells TOI.Add to that the engineering learnings that will eventually make way to the traditional Indian Railways manufacturing ecosystem.“The advanced engineering mastered for bullet trains will inevitably trickle down to upgrade the broader semi-high-speed Vande Bharat fleet,” Sudhanshu Mani says.

“Above all, successfully building and deploying indigenous bullet trains elevates India into an elite, exclusive club of nations possessing high-speed rail technology. This milestone boosts global standing and establishes the country as an alternative source of geopolitical soft power,” he adds.Beyond railways, experts see advantages for other sectors as well.“High-speed rail manufacturing demands expertise in metallurgy, machining, electronics, power systems, signalling, sensors and telecommunications engineering. These capabilities often spill over into aerospace, defence, semiconductor manufacturing and industrial automation,” says Aniket Dani of Crisil Intelligence.He tells TOI that local manufacturing can significantly reduce lifecycle costs because maintenance, spare parts and future fleet expansion become less dependent on foreign suppliers.

Giving examples of major countries around the world, Anikent Dhani says that countries like Japan, China, France and Germany have developed indigenous high-speed rail technologies. “Achieving similar capabilities would strengthen India’s technological sovereignty in transport infrastructure. It would also open export opportunities for rolling stock, signalling systems, electrical equipment, track components and engineering services as many countries in Asia, Middle East and Africa,” he says.

7 More Bullet Train Corridors

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is just one of the many ambitious projects that Indian Railways is planning. In this year’s Budget, seven more high-speed rail corridors have been announced. India developing bullet train manufacturing capabilities would help serve the demand for rolling stock in these corridors in a cost effective manner.

The proposed routes include Mumbai-Pune (48 minutes), Pune-Hyderabad (1 hour 55 minutes), Hyderabad-Bengaluru (2 hours), Hyderabad-Chennai (2 hours 55 minutes), Chennai-Bengaluru (1 hour 13 minutes), Delhi-Varanasi (3 hours 50 minutes), and Varanasi—Siliguri via Patna (2 hours 55 minutes.With Vande Bharat Express trains, Indian Railways rolled out premium travel at higher speeds. The Vande Bharat sleeper trains will take that another step forward by making long-distance travel faster and more comfortable.But with bullet trains, the country is all set to enter a premium league both in terms of passenger convenience, and engineering learnings – whether it is in terms of the tracks, signalling and other infrastructure, or the rolling stock capabilities which may ultimately open another export avenue.