New Delhi, July 12 -- Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday that the first bullet train is now under construction between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. He said the first section of the bullet train will be launched next year. "And the progress is immense," he said.

Vaishnaw said, "Next year, we will start the first section of the bullet train in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section between Surat and Bilimore. Then, section by section, immediately after that, we will go from Vapi to Surat, then we'll go from Vapi to Ahmedabad, then Ahmedabad to Thane, then Ahmedabad to Mumbai."

"That is the phase-by-phase, section-by-section opening that will start from next year onwards," the minister said while speaking at the HYSEA GCCS &...