Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor: Shinkansen E5 Bullet Train To Arrive From Japan In This Year

The first Shinkansen E5 bullet train, which is set to operate on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor at speeds of up to 320 kilometres per hour (kmph), will take at least two more years to arrive from Japan, according to Hindustan Times (HT). Indian Railways is currently in discussions with its Japanese counterparts to finalise the timeline for manufacturing and delivering these trains to India. This 508-kilometre rail corridor will also serve as a testing ground for semi-high-speed trains that can reach operational speeds of 250 kmph.

On Saturday, senior railway officials stated that they expect to place orders for the Shinkansen E5 trains by the end of this year. An official from the National High-Speed Rail Corridor (NHSRCL) noted that talks with Japan are ongoing. The Shinkansen E5 trains are capable of reaching a maximum speed of 350 kmph, but they will operate at 320 kmph on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.

Photo Credit: Instagram

The NHSRCL is also planning to test semi-high-speed trains, which will have operational speeds of 250 kmph. "We have been approached to test these semi-high-speed trains in the future, and we have agreed," said a senior NHSRCL official in HT. These trains have the potential to replace existing premium services like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express, which currently operate at 130 kmph.

In a related development, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) issued a tender on September 5 for the manufacture of two high-speed chair-car trains. These stainless-steel trains are designed to have a maximum speed of 280 kmph, with an operational speed of 250 kmph. On September 19, which was the deadline for bid submissions, public sector company BEML Ltd expressed interest in producing the two semi-high-speed trains. Manufacturing these trains is expected to take more than two years, with an estimated cost between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore per train. These eight-car trains will have a seating capacity of 174 passengers.

Meanwhile, the Shinkansen bullet train will offer two journey options. In the first option, the train will stop at all 12 stations along the route, taking about three hours for the complete journey. A second option with fewer stops will significantly reduce the travel time. Out of the 508 kilometres of the route, 351 km will pass through Gujarat, while 157 km will pass through Maharashtra. Work has already begun on the first undersea tunnel between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Thane, near Ghansoli. Eventually, there will be 35 bullet trains with 10 coaches each, making a total of 70 daily trips.