Megapolis Chennai: Fast tracking India's high-speed railway story
In truth, that figure was the combined speed of two trains passing each other, with a top speed of 453 kmph. Even so, the CR450’s operating speed of 400 kmph will make it the world’s fastest wheel-on-rail train.
Sudhanshu Mani
CHENNAI: When China recently tested its new CR450 trains, social media erupted with wild claims, including one that the trains hit a speed of 896 km per hour (kmph). In truth, that figure was the combined speed of two trains passing each other, with a top speed of 453 kmph. Even so, the CR450’s operating speed of 400 kmph will make it the world’s fastest wheel-on-rail train.
As India debates and delays, China has already built over 46,000 km of high-speed rail (HSR), carrying nearly three billion passengers annually. In spite of similar demography and distances, the contrast is stark: while China speeds ahead, India languishes. High-speed rail isn’t a luxury for a country like India; it’s essential for faster travel, urban growth, and job creation, particularly because rail is far greener than air and road.
Successive governments debated whether HSR was too elitist for India, ignoring the global experience not only of China but of both developed and middle-income nations such as Morocco, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Indonesia. Ending decades of dithering, Prime Minister Narendra Modi got the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (HSR) project sanctioned at Rs 98,000 crore, with 80 per cent funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Since then, the project has mostly made headlines for the wrong reasons – delays, cost overruns, and indecision. Early setbacks were blamed on land acquisition hurdles in Maharashtra (when the opposition ruled the State), COVID disruptions, and frequent design changes. Costs ballooned to nearly Rs 2 lakh crore, while the executing agency, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), struggled to present a reliable timeline even before the Parliamentary Standing Committee a few months ago.
After the change of government in Maharashtra, civil works finally picked up pace. Yet, new challenges surfaced. The Japanese quoted exorbitant prices for trains and signalling systems, and negotiations went nowhere. In response, Indian Railways (IR) decided to develop its own 280 kmph train – an ambitious move that failed to impress Japan. IR also opted for a European signalling system, calling it a “temporary” measure, perhaps hoping Tokyo might soften its pricing stance.
Complicating matters further, massive tunnel-boring machines built in Guangzhou by German firm Herrenknecht for the 21-km underground stretch between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata were stuck at a Chinese port since October 2024, owing to Chinese supply-chain restrictions. This delayed civil works on a critical section.
Meanwhile, Japan unexpectedly offered two current-model Shinkansen trains free of charge, even as IR indicated plans to buy newer Japanese models still under development and expected only by 2031. Debates continue over whether India should run its indigenous trains at 250 kmph on infrastructure designed for 320 kmph, on the compatibility of the European signalling system with Japanese trains, the dependence on imported tunnel-boring machines, and the repeated promises of commissioning a 50 km stretch in Gujarat by 2027 or 2028. Further confusion stems from talk of several other proposed HSR corridors—Delhi–Varanasi–Howrah, Chennai–Bengaluru–Mysore, Delhi–Amritsar, and Mumbai–Hyderabad—spreading the focus too thin.
Though the outcome of the Prime Minister’s recent discussions with Japan is unclear, signs suggest a more pragmatic roadmap is emerging. The stranded tunnel-boring machines have finally reached India after a détente with China and are set to resume work. Construction is progressing faster than ever, with about 325 km of viaducts and 400 km of piers already completed.
IR has also moved decisively away from Japanese dependency by awarding the signalling contract to the Siemens–DRA Infracon consortium, whose European system should be operational by 2029 at a fraction of Japan’s cost. The indigenous HSR train is expected by 2027, to begin service at 250 kmph by 2028 — a significant technological milestone if achieved. Indications are that for 320 kmph operations, global tenders will soon be invited, with European companies likely to offer far more competitive bids. If pursued boldly, 2029 could realistically see India’s first 320 kmph train in operation; if not on the complete stretch, at least in part of it.
On October 15, the Minister announced India’s vision to build 7,000 km of dedicated passenger corridors by 2047, largely driven by indigenous technology in trains, signalling, and control systems.
In my view, India must move swiftly to complete at least three or four high-speed rail corridors by 2035, with Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Jaipur, and Delhi–Amritsar emerging as the most viable candidates. Japanese technology would have been the perfect launchpad, but given the complexities, the present roadmap - indigenous, cost-effective, and politically pragmatic, supplemented by European technology wherever necessary - appears the wisest course. Time is of the essence; the perfect must not become the enemy of the possible.
(The writer, a retired General Manager of Indian Railways, led the Vande Bharat project, and is presently an independent consultant)
