Mumbai: Mumbaikars can anticipate a significant reduction in travel time to Shirdi, with the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur bullet train set to complete the journey in just 1 hour and 10 minutes, compared to the current 6 hours and 5 minutes by super-fast train. The detailed project report (DPR) for the bullet train, submitted to the Maharashtra Government and the Ministry of Railways last year, outlined that the high-speed trains will cover the distance between Mumbai and Nagpur in just 3 hours and 30 minutes, an improvement from the current 11 to 12 hours by existing mail express trains.
Mumbai-Shirdi journey
According to the DPR, the Mumbai-Nagpur bullet train will commence from Bandra-Kurla Complex, travelling to Thane via the under-construction Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train route, and then run via Shahpur, Ghoti, Igatpuri, Nasik, Shirdi, and then connecting parallel to Samruddhi Mahamarg, the proposed corridor will ultimately reach Nagpur. The estimated cost for the approximately 741 km long Mumbai-Nagpur corridor is around Rs1.7 lakh crores. The maximum speed on this route will be an impressive 350 km/h, significantly reducing travel time. The DPR suggests that the slow bullet trains will stop at all stations and take approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes while the express trains will halt only at major stations, completing the Mumbai-Shirdi journey in approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.
While the fare structure for the proposed bullet train is yet to be determined, it is anticipated to be approximately 1.5 times higher than the current first-class air-conditioned fare on regular train services.
