India’s First Indigenous Bullet Train Prototype Will Be Ready By Dec 2026 & Here’s All About It

In a major development towards India’s high-speed rail ambitions, BEML is set to begin manufacturing India’s first indigenous bullet train prototype in September this year. BEML will carry out the designing, manufacturing, and commissioning of two high-speed trainsets and the overall budget of the project is ₹866.87.

BEML To Begin Production Of India’s First Bullet Train This September

According to The Financial Express, state-owned BEML is aiming to roll out India’s first bullet train prototype by December 2026. They will begin manufacturing in September 2025. The indigenous trainset, with a top speed of 280 kmph, will be built at lower costs in BEML’s existing facility in Bengaluru. The facility already produces Vande Bharat sleeper trainsets.

The prototype of India’s first bullet train will be tested on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor. Railway experts are calling this a major milestone in India’s high-speed railway infrastructure. While talking to The Financial Express, BEML Chairman and Managing Director Shantanu Roy shared that their team is currently designing the trainset and production will begin in September.

While the first coach is expected to be ready by 2026, authorities have mentioned that it will undergo rigorous testing. They said that since it’s a high-speed train, tests like squeeze test and climatic chamber test will be carried out. This is to ensure the coach’s durability in different conditions. After all approval, bulk production of 15 more cars will be carried out.

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More About These Trainsets

Last year, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) asked BEML to indigenously manufacture two high-speed trainsets. Each trainset will comprise eight coaches and is designed to reach speeds of 280 kmph, although their operational speed will be 249 kmph. Reports suggest that the trains will be tested at their top speed itself.

The total project cost is about ₹866.87 crore. Roughly, it means that each coach will be around ₹27.86 crore. This is significantly lower than the latest Shinkansen coaches. And as per reports, the foreign coaches cost somewhere between ₹46 and 48 crore each.

BEML, formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited, has initially mentioned that its high-speed bullet trains will be more cost-effective. Thanks to the domestic sourcing of products and components, including stainless steel, the overall cost of manufacturing the coaches indigenously will be much cheaper for India.

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Are you excited to see what India’s first, indigenous bullet train will look like? Let us know in the comments.

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/Chris Putnam