There is a lot of delay in the deal to buy Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains. Meanwhile, high-speed Vande Bharat trains will run on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor. The Ministry of Railways has invited bids for the signaling system.
The first bullet train in India is set to run on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor in Maharashtra. However, there is a significant delay in the deal to purchase Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains. In this situation, the Ministry of Railways has made a decision. The ministry has invited bids for a signaling system that will allow Vande Bharat trains to run at a maximum speed of 280 km per hour on this corridor. Until the Shinkansen trains arrive in India, high-speed Vande Bharat trains can operate on this section.
Japanese bullet trains are taking much longer to arrive. The Ministry of Railways had previously claimed that Shinkansen bullet trains would start operating on the Surat-Bilimora segment by August 2026. However, it is now clear that these high-speed special trains will not become a reality before 2030. According to a report by Times of India, sources have said that operating Shinkansen trains on the entire corridor will not be possible before 2033. The foundation stone for this project was laid in September 2017.
India’s Indigenous Bullet Train
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHRSCL) issued a tender last week for the signaling system for Vande Bharat trains on the bullet train corridor. These Vande Bharat trains are being developed as India’s indigenous bullet trains. According to the tender document, the successful bidder will need to design, build, supply, install, and maintain the signaling and train control system. This will be the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-2, which is different from the Japanese DS-ATC signaling used for Shinkansen trains.
Vande Bharat trains will start running from 2027. The contract period for ETCS-2 is seven years from the date of receiving the work. Sources have said that the deployment of ETCS-2 on the corridor will ensure the optimal use of infrastructure. The commercial operation of Vande Bharat trains on this track is planned to begin in 2027.
