An Indo-Japanese team has already identified 15 possible stations along the proposed 534-km Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed train corridor, said Katsuo Matsumoto, deputy director general of the South Asia Department of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Speaking to The Hindu from Tokyo, he said in all likelihood it would be a new line as there is “heavy congestion” on the existing rail corridor. “The proposal is to link the high-speed line with the existing rail network at select stations in order to ease transfers,” Mr. Matsumoto said.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit Japan shortly, JICA, which is doing the feasibility study for the project, submitted a mid-term report recently.
“We’ve made a detailed technology comparison of the pros and cons of several international high-speed train systems, including the French and Italian. Although Japan’s Shinkansen trains are the safest, it’s up to the Indian government to decide what technology suits their needs,” Mr. Matsumoto said.
The current speed of long-distance trains in India averages around 70-80 kmph. The train systems that are under consideration can reach a speed of 300-350 kmph, which would be a radical leap.
At present, China has over 12,000 km of high-speed train lines, which is the world’s largest network, although the Chinese began construction only in 2007. The U.S. also has major plans, having earmarked $11 billion in investments.
Cost is a major concern for all these countries, especially India, whose GDP is substantially smaller than every other country that is planning an extensive high-speed rail network. If India does manage to build the Ahmedabad-Mumbai line for Rs. 60,000 crore ($10 billion) as the Railway Minister promised in his budget speech, India’s construction cost would be the cheapest in the world.
“We had a similar debate in our country about 50 years ago,” Mr. Matsumoto said.
“Some saw the trains as just high-tech toys. But within three years, they were making a profit. Japan’s per capita GNP back then was also very similar to where India is right now. We believe that high-speed trains can work in India.”
