New leader takes charge of bullet train project

The new head of India's Bullet train project assumed office as Senior Railway Service Officer Vivek Kumar Gupta. A statement from the National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) indicated that Gupta had previously served as the Principal Executive Director (Gati-Shakti) at the Railway Board. In his prior position, Gupta held responsibility for the coordinated functioning of various directorates, including Civil (Works, Project Monitoring & Station Development), Electrical (RE), Signal & Telecommunication, Traffic, Finance, Planning, and Economic Directorates. The NHSRCL, a Special Purpose Vehicle with equity participation from the Central Government through the Ministry of Railways and two State Governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, is overseeing the implementation of India's inaugural bullet train project. The NHSRCL also announced plans to install 28 seismometers along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor to ensure the safety of passengers and critical infrastructure during earthquakes. According to the statement, this Early Earthquake Detection System, based on Japanese Shinkansen technology, will identify earthquake-induced tremors through primary waves and facilitate an automatic power shutdown. NHSRCL further added that emergency brakes would be activated upon detecting the power shutdown, causing trains in the affected area to come to a stop.