India's indigenous B28 bullet train undergoes vehicle body shell 'squeeze test' at BEML Bengaluru

Key facts

• India's first indigenous high-speed train, B28 (Bharat 28), has undergone the vehicle body shell 'squeeze test' at BEML's production facility in Bengaluru to verify the car body can withstand heavy external forces without excessive deformation in a collision.
• The central PSU BEML is manufacturing the first two indigenous bullet trains, each comprising eight coaches.
• The trains are designed for an operating speed of 249 kmph and a testing speed of 275 kmph.
• Trial runs of B28 are planned on the 100-km Surat-Vapi section of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai High Speed Rail corridor by May-June 2027, with commercial operations on this stretch scheduled to begin in August 2027.
• Two prototype trains are expected to be ready for trial runs in the first quarter of 2027; the entire Gujarat section of the corridor is expected to be completed by December 2027, and the full 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor is targeted for completion by December 2030.