Trials of bullet train would be conducted at a speed of 350 km per hour (kmph), comparable to the take-off speed of airplanes, officials said on Wednesday. 

The first such trial would be held between Bilimora and Surat in Gujarat in 2026, followed by other sections, they said. The operational speed of the trains will be 320 kmph. 

“It will be a game-changer for travellers and competition to air travel. The bullet trains will have less check-in time, more leg space and most of all, connectivity, which is denied on-board airplanes. We will conduct the trials at 350 kmph, but the operational speed will be 320 kmph,” an official said. 

The trains would run on special tracks called the “slab track system”, popularly known as HSR technology for construction of tracks, patented by the Japanese. Trains running at a speed of 350 kmph would be fit to run on these tracks, the officials said. The services would come at a fare on a par with an economy-class flight and was likely to have a higher free-luggage limit, sources said. 

With the Assembly polls round the corner in Gujarat, the thrust is on speeding up the project and taking a section up for trial, especially in Gujarat where the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has already acquired 99 per cent of the land required. 

Using designs procured from Japan, construction is being done through the Full Span Launching Method (FLSM), one of the most sophisticated bridge construction technologies in the world. The NHSRCL has built 200-250 pillars per month between Bilimora and Surat.