"High-speed railways are needed for national development, for the people and for regional communication. Many countries have boosted their economies by developing high-speed rail. We have also developed a full range of effective measures to manage safet," said Zhou Li, head of the ministry's science and technology department, told reporters during a test run on the track.
The country is hopeful of building an entire grid of high-speed railways which will include four east-west lines and four north-south lines by 2020. This will in turn give a major boost to China's flagging economy — absorbing huge investments, generating a constant demand for resources and raw materials, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs, and stimulating economic activity by bringing goods, services and people into greater proximity.
So here's the question for the Indian railway ministry: why haven't India thought of one? Given the growing costs of airplane fares and bankruptcy of a major airline, such a high speed mode of transport seems to make sense. It is of no doubt that high speed bullet trains offer an ideal answer to the cost-speed balance need in transport between major urban cities. For supporters, the word high speed trains conjure visions of trains hurtling across the four metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata) at over 200 miles per hour, bypassing congested highways and long airport lines alike.
Latest Business News
