India Begins Work $17 Billion Bullet Train
By Madeline Maclean
Last Thursday, work officially began on building India’s $17 billion bullet train. The train will serve as a link between the cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai, India’s financial capital. Officials say it will have a maximum speed of 217 miles per hour, reducing the 316-mile journey from eight hours to three. India’s Prime Minister, Nardendra Modi, sees the train has a big advancement for the country.
He stated, “This is the new India and the flight of its dreams is endless. The bullet train project will bring speed and employment. It is human-friendly and eco-friendly.”
Critics of the bullet train are less optimistic. They argue that the billions of dollars would be better spent upgrading the strained system. India’s railway network is huge, with over 12,000 tracks, 7,000 stations, and 1.3 million employees. Every day it carries over 23 million passengers. Unfortunately, the network is also in poor shape. 60% of its train routes exceed capacity, and its infrastructure is crumbling. Train derailments happen reguarly, with half a dozen just in the last month, and accidents are frequent. In 2015, approximately 30,000 Indians died in railway accidents. Even though Modi has set aside $134 billion for upgrading the railways, including $20 billion for improving safety, many feel this still won’t be enough to make the necessary repairs and upgrades.
The majority of the project is being paid for by the Japanese government, who gave India a $14 billion loan to be paid back over fifty years. India hopes to launch the train on August 15, 2022, which will be the 75th anniversary of its Independence Day.
