High-speed rail project in focus as Vaishnaw embarks on Japan visit
Miffed by delays in the project, India earlier explored alternatives to Japan as the Union government was keen to launch the ambitious project in 2026
New Delhi/Ahmedabad: Prospects for the ₹1.08 lakh crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project brightened with India and Japan agreeing to take steps jointly to take forward the venture, which may include local and global sourcing of some components “if necessary”, people familiar with the matter said.
During railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s visit to Japan on Monday, the two sides agreed to cooperate on the project “more closely” with the common objective of expeditiously completing at least a section of it as soon as possible, two of the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.
Miffed by delays in the project, India earlier explored alternatives to Japan as the Union government was keen to launch the ambitious project in 2026, ahead of the election in Gujarat the following year.
Japan’s foreign ministry confirmed the thaw in an official statement on Monday. It said Vaishnaw and Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi discussed the project at a meeting in Tokyo on Monday evening. Vaishnaw is visiting Japan along with an official delegation.
Hayashi “welcomed the reunion” with Vaishnaw and “emphasised the importance of Japan-India cooperation towards the progress of the high-speed rail project which is a flagship project between Japan and India”, the statement said.
The two leaders “confirmed that Japan and India would work closely to make steady progress on the high-speed railway project”, the statement added.
The people cited above said experts and officials from the two sides are expected to meet in the coming weeks to discuss further steps to take forward the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, which was approved by the Cabinet in December 2015.
While a section of the Indian government is keen to complete the project before the Gujarat assembly elections, expected in November 2027, Japanese suppliers and technology providers were initially unwilling to commit to the deadline. This forced New Delhi to consider alternatives in Europe.
“One of the proposals was to outsource certain components of the projects, such as the signalling system, to a European entity. But all such decisions, if required, will now be taken jointly,” one of the people cited above said.