New Delhi: After facing uncertainty and delay over the procurement of high-speed trains from Japan,the Indian Railways announced that Vande Bharat trains will run on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor until the arrival of the Japanese Shinkansen trains. At a time the tender for procuring trains with Shinkansen technology from Japan for running at a maximum speed of 320 kmph is yet to be firmed up, Indian Railways said it is actively considering running an Indian Bullet train with a maximum speed of 280 kmph on the 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.
The Indian Railways said the decision comes amid delays in finalising the deal for procuring the Shinkansen trains, which are now expected to be operational in stages by 2030 and fully by 2033.
In the meantime, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) has invited tender for a signalling system that will enable Vande Bharat trains, with a maximum design speed of 280 km/h, to operate on this section. The European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-2 will be implemented for the Vande Bharat trains, while the Japanese DS-ATC signalling system will be installed for the Shinkansen trains once they arrive.
The Railways said that the plan is to start fully-functional operations of Vande Bharat trains on this track by 2027, ensuring that the high-capital intensive project remains utilized until the Japanese trains are ready. Once the Shinkansen trains are fully operational, the advanced versions of Vande Bharat trains and the ETCS will be shifted to other projects.
The railway ministry and NHSRCL said they are confident that the best Japanese bullet trains will be procured for the project by 2030, and that the Vande Bharat trains will meet passenger expectations in the interim.
With 68 operational Vande Bharat trains already running in the ciuntry, Indian Railways is in process of selecting technology partners to indigenously manufacture Energy Efficient Vande Bharat trains in India.
