Japanese E-10 bullet trains to run on Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor

India likely to use E5 variant Japanese-make bullet trains for trials and then buy the newest E10 variant ones for full blown commercial operations, senior officials told ET. This also means E10 trains will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan, around 2030.

“The newest Japanese trains will run on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed corridor,” the official said.

The entire 508 km corridor (352 km in Gujarat and 156 km in Maharashtra) is being developed with Japanese Shinkansen technology. This is expected to set new benchmarks for speed, safety, and reliability.

An official statement said Japanese Shinkansen is currently running E5 trains. The next generation trains are E10.

“In the spirit of strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in
the project,” the statement added.

According to a status report on the bullet train project issued Monday, 310 km of viaduct construction was complete.

Commercial operations for the Bullet Train are slated for 2027, with the first prototype expected to run in 2026.

While the Railway Board was earlier relying solely on Japanese technology for bullet trains, India may now opt for a tailored mix with more domestic partners. A complete signalling and telecommunication (S&T) system contract was recently awarded to vendors offering European technology with Indian partners.

In parallel, talks with Japanese companies are continuing on the supply of Shinkansen trainsets. Trials with E5 variant Shinkansen trainsets will ascertain their feasibility, and identify any modifications needed in the under-development E10 trainsets.

Besides Japanese firms, the government has tasked Integral Coach Factory (ICF) with developing a bullet train capable of reaching speeds of up to 280 kmph. The railway production unit has partnered with defence public sector enterprise - BEML to produce these trains.