Shinkasen or the bullet train has contributed a lot in transforming Japan into a powerful economy with equitable development indicators. The Narendra Modi government hopes that the bullet train project will replicate the same success levels in India.
Japan has only 20 per cent of its geographical area as habitable. About 75 per cent area of Japan is covered by mountains. Japan also has a forest cover of over 68 per cent.
The combined result of its geography is that Japan's population is hugely concentrated in a few urban centres with capital Tokyo accounting for about one-third of the total population.
When Japan launched its new economic programme after the devastation of the World War-II, it saw fast-paced vertical progress. But, development was not trickling down to smaller centres and villages even in the vicinity of the big centres like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
To make its economic growth and development more inclusive, distributive and equitable, Japan conceived the idea of high speed trains - Shinkasen, the bullet train.
HOW BULLET TRAINS CHANGED JAPAN
In 1964, Japan opened its first bullet train route connecting Tokyo and Osaka. The Shinkasen brought down the travel time from seven hours to just four. Since then, Japanese bullet train has carried more than 10 billion passengers with zero fatal mishap and an average annual delay time of 36 seconds.
The launch of bullet trains revolutionised the way Japan transacted its business. Shinkasen provided an efficient solution to the Japanese industries and workforce. The bullet trains allowed workers to stay at their places with lower cost of living and work at economic hubs and earn better. With a travel time of around two hours industry and workers got permanently connected.
According to a study done by University of Oslo, and Japan's Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry, one of the major transformative contributions of the bullet trains has been its ability to unite industry, suppliers and consumers.
The big companies could reach out to the suppliers in short time period while even small suppliers could approach the big firms with equal ease. The bullet trains benefitted both.
Another benefit of bullet trains in Japan has been the boost to tourism as far flung areas came within a few hours reach. Later, the Shinkasen, itself, became a tourist attraction.
Japan is now preparing for next generation bullet trains. The USD 47 billion project will connect Tokyo to Nagoya by 2027. However, bullet trains now face stiff competition from low-cost airlines.
CAN BULLET TRAINS WORK FOR NEW INDIA?
When Japan launched its first bullet train with the objective of bringing inclusive development, its per capita GDP was USD 835. When China launched its high speed trains, its per capita GDP was USD 3,500. Now, Japan's per capita GDP is over USD 36,000 while that of China's is over USD 8,000.
When India plans to show green flags to the first bullet train on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route in 2022, its per capita GDP is expected to be in the range of USD 2,500 to USD 3,000.
India aims at similar benefits from the bullet trains as seen by Japan. Mumbai is the commercial capital of the country. It is overburdened. Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor is dotted with several big business centres including Vadodara, Surat, Vapi and Thane.
The industrial corridor is in the region that is rich in natural resources and home to farm-based industries. There are huge possibilities of development of other commercial centres along the route.
The Centre and the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat hope that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project will energise the economies of the two states and the west-central region of the country.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF BULLET TRAINS?
The bullet train project may help establishing the Indian manufacturing and software ecosystem in the country. As per the bullet train agreement, the JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation) will help the government in identifying potential centres for Make In India programme.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is likely to employ about 20,000 people during its construction phase. Railway Minister 
Piyush Goyal has said that after completion of the project, about 4,000 people will be given permanent employment under the project for operation and maintenance of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor.
Giving details about the bullet train project, Goyal also expressed hope that it would be able to create 12-15 lakh jobs by giving fresh impetus to industrial and farm growth in the region.
However, one key concern will have to be addressed by the railways. Japan has a very high per capita income. India is far behind. The bullet train travels are costly. In Japan, an average ticket price is estimated at USD 130. This roughly translates into Rs 8,334.
After winning Nobel Prize, Japanese scientist Koichi Tanaka (Chemistry, 2002) had said that with the prize money he would now be able to buy a bullet train ticket.
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