India has approved its first indigenous semi high-speed rail project connecting Ahmedabad and Dholera, aiming to strengthen industrial connectivity and reduce travel time significantly.

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• The Ahmedabad-Sarkhej to Dholera semi high-speed double line rail project received approval with an estimated investment of nearly ₹20,667 crore.
• The proposed railway corridor will add around 134 kilometres of new rail infrastructure across Gujarat under India’s expanding transport modernization programme.
• The semi high-speed rail line will connect Ahmedabad, Dholera Special Investment Region, Dholera Airport and the Lothal National Maritime Heritage Complex.
• Trains on the new corridor are designed for operations up to 220 kilometres per hour with commercial services expected at 200 kilometres per hour.
• The project aims to reduce travel time between Sabarmati and Dholera to nearly 48 minutes after commercial operations begin.
• Officials stated that the corridor aligns with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan focused on integrated logistics and multimodal connectivity.
• India plans to complete the ambitious semi high-speed rail project by 2030-31 using domestically developed railway technologies and infrastructure systems.
• The development also strengthens India’s growing semi high-speed rail ecosystem linked with Vande Bharat Express expansion and indigenous railway manufacturing initiatives.