Bullet Train a WIN-WIN for India and Japan

Ahmedabad Sept 14: Indian dreams of becoming a Developed nation has become a step closer. Indian PM Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe today have laid the Foundation stone for the Country's Most Prestigious Project 'High-Speed Rail Train' (Bullet Rail) in India.

Selection of Partner

Many People believe that India was not interested in hand over the most prestigious project to European countries and America cannot be chosen because it had not developed such Technology and the current Prime Minister was keen to handle it over China or Japan.

Experts have said that PM has not chosen China because of the on going border issues and an anti-China sentiment present among the people mean while the Japan government being a critical development partner and is in line with Present Governments ACT EAST Policy.

US Bargain.

The world is closely watching the big developments taking place in the world.Earlier during an interaction, US President Donald Trump had requested the Japanese government to invest in Bullet Train project. Earlier Japan has offered to support the project but it didn't materialize.



President Trump hopes that India will convince Japan to invest in the US after the success of this project because India always accepts US and Japan as permanent Friends.

Viability and Funding of the project

Currently, the cost of the project is 1.10 Lakh Crore out of which 88,000 cr would be funded by Japan and repayment time is 50 years with an interest rate of 0.1 %.The companies such as Kawasaki Heavy and India's Bharat Heavy Electrics Ltd would deliver the rolling stock.

Larsen & Toubro Ltd., Gammon India Ltd., and GMR Infrastructure Ltd will also take part in the project. Japan will transfer technology but most of the essential components will be manufactured in India and it would create a huge employment for 50,000 people.

Currently, India is itself not limiting the high-speed railway line to Mumbai-Ahmedabad, but 6 more stretches would be linked similar to the diamond quadrilateral highway project.

Highlights of the project:

The Government has advanced the project completion by a year from 2023 to 2022. The speed of the train would be between 320-350 KM/hr.the travel time between the two cities can be reduced from 8 hours to 3 hours. 21 km of the project would be via the tunnel and 7 KM will be under the Arabian Sea.