The railways ministry on Monday said it will deploy the Japanese Shinkansen E10 trains on the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor. With this, the ministry has cleared the air around ongoing speculation that the government might use indigenously-produced trains currently being manufactured by state-run BEML at its Bengaluru facility.
In a statement, the ministry said that while the Japanese Shinkansen is currently operating E5 trains, the next-generation model is the E10 (also called Alfa-X). “In the spirit of strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. It is noteworthy that E10 will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan,” the ministry said.
Shinkansen E10 trains are the latest version of Japanese high-speed trains and can achieve a top speed of 400 km per hour — 25% faster than the current E5 models in operation.
Until recently, there was speculation that the government might forgo the prohibitively expensive Shinkansen trains in favour of locally made alternatives. Last year, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) awarded a contract to BEML to produce two high-speed train prototypes capable of speeds up to 280 kmph.
Though the cost of the E10 trains — still under development — is not yet known, the two BEML prototypes are expected to cost Rs 866.87 crore, with individual coaches priced at Rs 27.86 crore.
The ministry said the entire 508-km bullet train corridor is being developed with Japanese Shinkansen technology. It further noted that the project has achieved a major milestone with the opening of the first section of the 21-km undersea tunnel between BKC and Thane.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project is being executed with official development assistance from JICA, which is providing a loan at an interest rate of 0.1%. JICA is funding 81% of the construction and procurement costs, while the central government and the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat are sharing the rest.
While the sanctioned cost of the project stands at Rs 1.08 lakh crore, the government has not specified a timeline for its completion.
“Track laying, construction of overhead electrical wires, stations, and bridges are going on at a rapid pace. The success of the MAHSR project is laying the foundation for future bullet train corridors in India. Future corridors are also under active consideration,” the ministry said.
