Bullet train for India: Japan is this week expected to be formally granted the rights to build India’s first high-speed bullet train linking Mumbai to the Gujarati city of Ahmedabad using its high-speed bullet train technology. The deal is due to be confirmed when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits India on Saturday when he is also expected to offer loans of just over $8bn to help finance the 550-mile, $14.6bn project.
With trains eventually racing along at up to 320kph, the new railway is expected to slash travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad from eight to two hours. Construction is supposed to begin in 2017, and to be completed by 2023.
India has plans for a further seven high-speed-rail corridors.
Once the deal has been agreed, the project will be put out to tender with a consortium including JR East, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Hitachi expected to be among the bidders.
Japan began actively looking to export the technology behind its domestic shinkansen high-speed rail network last year with the formation of the International High-Speed Rail Association (IHRA) that brought together four railway operators and 21 other industrial concerns. So far, Taiwan has become its sole overseas customer and it recently lost out to China in a bid to build a network in Indonesia.
Japan on track to build first bullet train for India in $14.6bn deal
Source: nikkei