India to procure 24 Shinkansen high speed Bullet trains from Japan

New Delhi (Urban Transport News): India Government all set to procure E5 series Shinkansen high speed Bullet trains from the Japan for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor. In a written reply of question raised in the Parliament, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has stated that as many as 24 Shinkansen high speed Bullet trains have been planned for procurement from Japanese companies through tendering process for the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project.

The bullet trains are being developed on E5 Shinkansen technology of Japan. According to Goyal, 6 out of 24 train sets are planned to assemble in India in order to promote Centre's 'Make in India' programme. However, the Japanese supplier company will decide the location for assembling the bullet train sets in India. Goyal said that the estimated cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed bullet train project is Rs 1,08,000 crore which includes the cost that will be incurred on procurement of the rolling stock as well.

He further stated that 81% of this amount will be funded through the soft loan from the Japanese financial institution, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Sources from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said on June 29 that the company has reworked the design of the bullet train station in Thane to reduce the number of affected mangroves from the estimated 53,000 to 32,044. NHSRCL Managing Director Achal Khare has informed that the NHSRCL has obtained required clearance from wildlife, forest and CRZ.

However, clearance from the forest department came with a few conditions including review of the Thane station design so as to reduce the area of affected mangroves. Khare said that modification of the design without having to change the location of the station was discussed with the Japanese engineers. Explaining on effect of revised design, Khare said-

Parking area and passenger handling area have now been moved out of the mangrove region...Earlier, 12 hectares of mangrove region were getting affected in Thane, but now only three hectares will get affected. Instead of the estimated 53,000 mangroves, 32,044 mangroves will now be affected.

NHSRCL will compassionate the destroyed mangroves in 1:5 ratio and borne the entire financial expenses on plantation of about 1,60,000 new mangroves. The high-speed rail project is targeted to be completed by the year 2023. The Railway Board has also asked NHSRCL to study the feasibility of 10 more corridors for bullet train projects in India.