Amid "Modi, Modi" chants and a promise to travel together on the bullet train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the Rs 1.08 lakh crore ($17 billion) high-speed rail project at the Sabarmati athletic grounds.
Often referring to each other as 'personal friends' in their speeches, the two dignitaries likened the kick-off of the 508 kilometre-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) to the catalyst for building new India. This is reminiscent of what the Shinkansen bullet train did to Japan's economy since its launch in 1964.
Launching the project with the press of a remote control button from a makeshift tent on the Sabarmati athletic grounds near the railway station, Modi and Abe promised to return in 2022 when they would travel together on the bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
"I love Gujarat and the thrilling experience of a roadshow yesterday. I hope to come back to Ahmedabad in Shinkansen with Modi. I remember in 1964 when a new Japan was born after Shinkansen's launch. Modi has now chosen the same to build a new India and we are determined to fulfil it. The first two letters of Japan and the first letter of India form the word 'Jai' that means victory and this special strategic and global partnership will achieve that," said Abe in his Japanese speech, which was being translated impromptu.
The Japanese PM stated that his nation was committed to Modi's 'Make in India' programme and in helping India become the "world's factory".
The dignitary duo also remotely launched a high-speed rail training institute at Vadodara from the venue. Before the launch, Modi and Abe were briefed about the project and shown a model of the high-speed rail corridor from Ahmedabad to Mumbai.
Comparing past civilisations that were built at river banks and highways, Modi stated that now civilisations would be built where high-speed rail corridors are laid. Giving credit to the Japanese PM for the quick development of the project without facing any bottlenecks so far, Modi said: "People who seek loans for even two-wheelers bargain hard but fail to find banks that offer low-cost interest loans, but India has got such a friend. It is a gift from Japan to India and is almost free."
Ground Breaking #Ceremony of #BulletTrain by PM @narendramodi & Japanese PM @AbeShinzo https://t.co/Ul4BiKuqQS
— PIB India (@PIB_India) September 14, 2017
Comparing past civilisations that were built at river banks and highways, Modi stated that now civilisations would be built where high-speed rail corridors are laid. Giving credit to the Japanese PM for the quick development of the project without facing any bottlenecks so far, Modi said: "People who seek loans for even two-wheelers bargain hard but fail to find banks that offer low-cost interest loans, but India has got such a friend. It is a gift from Japan to India and is almost free."
Japan is offering a $12-billion loan at a minimal interest cost of 0.1 per cent for a 50-year period, including a 15-year moratorium for MAHSR. The bullet train will have 10 cars and a capacity to accommodate 750 people. It will see the light of the day by 2022.
Of the 508-km stretch, 468 km (92 per cent) of the route will be elevated, 27 km (six per cent) will be underground, and the remaining 13 km (two per cent) will be on ground. The bullet train will also pass through the country's longest tunnel of 21 km, of which 7 km will be under the sea. The operating speed of the bullet train will be 320 km per hour and maximum speed will be 350 km per hour.
The stretch will have 12 stations — Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, Sabarmati. Of these, Mumbai will be an underground station.
The fares for the bullet train would be in the range of Rs 3,000 to 5,000 for a ticket. The BJP government's ambitious project is likely to be scaled up soon after commissioning to accommodate 1,200 people in 16 cars.
On a day when a Jammu-Delhi Rajdhani coach derailed, Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal said: "People had criticised Rajdhani when it was launched but today everybody wants to ride in Rajdhani. In future, the bullet train will be available for citizens at low and competitive prices."
State chief ministers of Gujarat and Maharashtra, Vijay Rupani and Devendra Phadnavis, who were also present at the groundbreaking ceremony thanked the prime minister for the project. While terming the event as the foundation stone laying ceremony for a 'New India', Phadnavis invited Modi and Abe to travel to Mumbai on the bullet train for its launch. Rupani, on the other hand, recalled Japan's partnership that ran back to the first Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2003 where it was a country partner.
The project is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle, the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC), with equity participation from the Ministry of Railways and the state governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Goyal had stated that the project is expected to provide 1.2-1.5 million jobs, of which around 20,000 will be in construction, 4,000 direct jobs for running the system and around 20,000 indirect jobs.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had been signed in December 2015 for follow-up studies by JICA on technical standards, regulations, station area development, review of final location survey, safety and human resource development. The studies, which started in March 2016, are likely to be completed by mid-2019.