New Delhi: India will upgrade its next bullet train to run at 350 kilometres per hour (kmph), according to railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. He said work on design for the train will begin in the next six months.
Indian Railways will also push for containerisation of domestic cargo following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for lowering fuel consumption on road transit. "We will simplify norms for boosting domestic container movement by rail," the minister told ET, adding that extensive deliberations are underway.
Read more:India unveils official glimpse of its first ever bullet train
The need for such measures has become imperative following the spike in crude oil prices because of the West Asia crisis.
The minister held meetings with trade delegations Tuesday to firm up required changes.
Indian Railways has been scaling up container and parcel movement through a mix of fiscal interventions and new services. Vaishnaw said cement, automobile and salt loading registered "significant growth, and reforms for fly ash transit are next."
Budget 2026-27 estimates railway earnings from cement to annually rise by 7% to ₹14,315.52 crore, while income from domestic containers is slated to grow 8% year-on-year to ₹3800.16 crore.
While loading goods and scaling up parcels have been in focus, a concerted effort is underway to boost passenger travel.
Read more:Bullet train project: First tunnel boring machine cutterhead lowered at Mumbai's Vikhroli
SpeedING UP
"Our next indigenous high-speed train will run at 350 kmph," Vaishnaw said.
BEML and Integral Coach Factory (ICF) are currently developing the B28 bullet train that can run at up to 280 kmph. The prototype is expected to be ready early next year and will operate on a portion of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor come August 2027.
"The new high speed trains have special features to adapt them for India's diverse climates," he added.
According to Vaishnaw, the Railway Board will keep safety amidst technology adoption as top priority for the current fiscal. The minister estimates nearly 70,000 km of rails have been laid in the past decade and over 80% of the entire network can now run trains at up to 110 kmph.
Indian Railways will also push for containerisation of domestic cargo following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for lowering fuel consumption on road transit. "We will simplify norms for boosting domestic container movement by rail," the minister told ET, adding that extensive deliberations are underway.
Read more:India unveils official glimpse of its first ever bullet train
The need for such measures has become imperative following the spike in crude oil prices because of the West Asia crisis.
The minister held meetings with trade delegations Tuesday to firm up required changes.
Indian Railways has been scaling up container and parcel movement through a mix of fiscal interventions and new services. Vaishnaw said cement, automobile and salt loading registered "significant growth, and reforms for fly ash transit are next."
Budget 2026-27 estimates railway earnings from cement to annually rise by 7% to ₹14,315.52 crore, while income from domestic containers is slated to grow 8% year-on-year to ₹3800.16 crore.
While loading goods and scaling up parcels have been in focus, a concerted effort is underway to boost passenger travel.
Read more:Bullet train project: First tunnel boring machine cutterhead lowered at Mumbai's Vikhroli
SpeedING UP
"Our next indigenous high-speed train will run at 350 kmph," Vaishnaw said.
BEML and Integral Coach Factory (ICF) are currently developing the B28 bullet train that can run at up to 280 kmph. The prototype is expected to be ready early next year and will operate on a portion of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor come August 2027.
"The new high speed trains have special features to adapt them for India's diverse climates," he added.
According to Vaishnaw, the Railway Board will keep safety amidst technology adoption as top priority for the current fiscal. The minister estimates nearly 70,000 km of rails have been laid in the past decade and over 80% of the entire network can now run trains at up to 110 kmph.
