PMO Sets Up Panel To Fast-Track Bullet Trains

Geography Transport

The Prime Minister’s Office has constituted a committee under Arvind Panagariya, vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog, to fast track the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, meant for bullet trains between the two cities.
The panel will interact with the Japanese counterpart for taking the next step in implementation.Earlier, the project was examined by a committee on innovative collaborations head by Panagariya, whose mandate is to vet projects worth Rs 2,000 crore and above.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train was the first project appraised by the committee.

About Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail project:

The Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is an approved high-speed rail corridor in India connecting the cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. If built, it will be India's first high speed rail line. The project is estimated to cost 98,000 crores rupees.
India signed a Rs 97,636-crore deal with Japan, paving the way for the largest-ever foreign investment in the country's railway sector.
The idea is to use Japanese funding - to the extent of 80 per cent of the project cost or Rs 70,000 crore - and technology to introduce its marquee Shinkansen bullet trains on the 508-kilometre Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.
Once operational in 2023, the high-speed service will cut travel time between the cities to two hours from the current eight hours.
Indian Railways run the corridor for an initial five years, after which private operators could be allowed.
In India the proposed trains will be run on a standard gauge line and the train is described as having a maximum design speed of 350 km per hour.

Why India prefers Japan over China for bullet train project:

Low-cost funding up to 80 per cent of the cost proposed by Japan International Cooperation Agency at .1 per cent interest rate (50-year repayment).
Japan is committed for technology transfer.
Japan will help in local manufacturing for a specified period.
Japan's shinkansen technology has seen zero accident-related passenger deaths or injuries. That’s in contrast to China whose high-speed rail systems have all had fatal accidents that took the lives of anywhere.

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