Bullet Train

So at last PM Modi’s pet project of running Bullet train in India is taking shape. Yesterday PM Modi along with PM Abe of Japan laid the foundation stone of the project in a ceremony at Ahmedabad. There is a news item today that govt is considering the Bullet Train routes for the sectors like Delhi-Calcutta, Delhi – Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai, Delhi- Chandigarh, Mumbai – Nagpur and Delhi- Nagpur. This seem to be very ambitious  projects- God only knows when they will see the light and at what cost.

Now let us see some salient points of  Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project:

1. It is actually going to run from Mumbai to Sabarmati station in Ahmedabad,  a distance of approx 509 KM.
2. Time to cover this distance 2 hours, when present fast trains cover this distance in 6 -7 hours.
3. It can reach the top speed of 350 kmph, but max operating speed will be 320 kmph.
4. It will have double lines and will run thru Maharashtra (156 km), Union territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli ( 2km) and Gujarat (351 km).
5. This project will use Japanese Shinkansen high speed rail technology.
6. There will 21 km long under sea tunnel after Thane creek towards Virar, and balance most part of the project will on the elevated rail track to avoid land acquisitions.
7.  The project has to be completed before 15th Aug 2022( 75th anniversary of India’s independence).
8. Cost of the project Rs 1,08,000 Crores.
9. It is going to provide 20,000 construction jobs in next 5 years. Additionally it will provide 4000 operational jobs and indirect employment to about 20,000 people.

Now friends note the item no.8 listed above ie the cost of the project Rs 1.08 Lakh Crores, which is mind boggling, now for a country which runs more than 10,000 trains daily to ferry more than 15 millions passengers, can a bullet train which will carry few thousand passengers is worth the amount which the country is going to spend. Now let us see some adverse points of this project:

1. Agreed that Japan will be providing a soft loan of Rs 88,000 Crores at 0.1 %, but State govts and Railways will have to invest Rs 20,000 crores. The cost of the project is equivalent to total outlay of Indian Railways in 2017. This expenditure for a route which is about  500 km long could be a burden for state exchequer in the years to come.
2. India is having mammoth rail net work of about 67,000 kms, half of which has become old and creeky. Trains rarely run on time and now a days there are many derailments, because of lack of safety standards.
3. Railway Stations across the country are ill equipped to cater growing number of passengers. What to say about Hygiene level, which is abysmal to describe.
4. Considering the dismal situation of Indian Railways, the question is should govt spend of this type of High  end project or invest in improving the present infra structure.
5. It has been also announced that one way fair between Mumbai Ahmedabad will be Rs 3000, which is almost equal to plane journey of one hour. Expert are estimating  that for  project to become viable the train will have to make at least 100 trips per day and ferry minimum of 100,000 passengers. This figure seem highly unlikely to achieve. I do not what is the basis of calculations which has been done by Modi & his team.
6. In our country major cities and state  capitals are already connected by Rails and planes, then what is the need of spending such amount on bullet train project, which can be very well used for betterment of citizens.
7. This project can only generate max 24,000 permanent jobs( direct and indirect), and 20,000 jobs are doing construction phase which are temporary.
8. Actually funds should be used for Metro Rail projects in side the major cities, so that the people’s mobility in the city improves. The city like Mumbai which needed Metro Rail system two decades back, is still struggling  with completion of metro Network. The contention that Japan is financing to the tune of 81% of the project does not hold true, as after some time in future Indian govt will have to start repaying the loan amount, which will be a big burden then on the exchequer.

The fact is that the Project is going ahead with the big blessings of PM Modi, only time will tell whether this project will be viable or not.

So what you my friends.

Awaiting for your feed backs and comments.