India Begins Construction on Home-built Bullet Train

India has commenced the construction of a domestically manufactured bullet train that is set to surpass speeds of 250 kilometers per hour (kmph) outspacing all existing trains within the Indian Railways network. It is being built on the Vande Bharat platform that can already clock a maximum speed of 220 kmph. The designs for this groundbreaking initiative are being crafted at the Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory (ICF) situated in Chennai. Globally, high-speed trains are categorized as those that operate at speeds exceeding 250 kmph, exemplified by renowned models like the French TGV and the Japanese Shinkansen. India has opted for Japanese technology for the bullet trains designated for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai line currently under construction. The selected Shinkansen E5 series bullet trains boast a top speed of 320 kmph. So far, the focus has been on enhancing the speed capabilities of Indian Railways trains. The (proposed) variant Vande Bharat trains can now reach from zero to 100 kmph in 52 seconds while the existing bullet trains do this in 54 seconds. ICF, the force behind the indigenously developed Vande Bharat trains, will oversee the production of the made-in-India bullet trains. These trains will traverse the recently announced north, south, and east corridors, employing more Indian technology and domestic manufacturing, as stated by the official. These endeavors will complement the Western Corridor, developed with Japanese collaboration and technology. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) extends a soft loan of approximately ?400 billion for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project. National High-Speed Rail Corp. Ltd (NHSRCL), the implementing body of the bullet train project, recently reported the completion of 300 km of pier work. Land acquisition for the entire 508 km stretch was successfully concluded in January.