BEML, the public sector undertaking manufacturing India's first bullet train, is expected to roll out the first car body shell by August 2026. The indigenously-developed high-speed train is being built at BEML's Aditya plant in Bengaluru, a facility inaugurated by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on April 25, 2026. BEML Chairman and Managing Director Shantanu Roy said the company expects the first car body shell by August and aims to unveil the first trainset early next calendar year. Once ready, the trainset will be moved to the Surat depot, being developed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), for testing and trial runs. Roy said the train would first undergo extensive testing at BEML's works, followed by depot testing at Surat and then testing on the main line, a process expected to last four to six months, with all tests already identified. The Ministry of Railways has set a target to manufacture the country's first bullet train, named 'B28', by March 2027. The defence PSU was awarded the contract in October 2024 by the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to design, manufacture and commission two high-speed trainsets. The Railways initially plans to roll out the B28 between Surat and Vapi, a 97-km stretch that is part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Efforts are underway to begin operations using the B28 (Bharat made Bullet, 280 kmph) on the Surat-Vapi section in August 2027, with the Railways aiming to make the corridor operational by then.