New Delhi: The first bullet train section in India, a 50-kilometre stretch, will be between Bilimora and Surat in Gujarat and it will be completed in August 2026, announced Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday.
Vaishnaw also discussed the Kavach system, an indigenously developed warning system to guard against on-track collisions.
He also gave updates on the Gajraj system, to prevent elephant-train collisions, as well as the construction of extra tracks to better connect different parts of the country.
The railways minister also said the number of new trains in India had increased from before the Covid-19 pandemic – from 1,768 mail/express services to 2,124 now and from 5,626 suburban services to 5,774 now.
Passenger trains also increased from 2,792 to 2,856 in the same period, he said, adding that the Railways served 6.4 billion passengers in 2022-23, and the target for 23-24 is 7.5 billion.
Earlier, Vaishnaw had announced the completion of 100 km of viaducts and 230 km of pier work – for the bigger Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor of which the Bilimora-Surat portion is a part.
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