NEW DELHI: Amid inordinate delay in finalising the deal for procurement of Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains for India’s first high-speed Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, the railway ministry has invited bids for a signalling system that will allow Vande Bharat trains, with a maximum design speed of 280 kpmh, to run on this section.
Though the ministry had earlier claimed that Shinkansen trains would make their debut on the Surat-Bilimora section by Aug 2026, now it is clear that these high-speed specialised trains may not be a reality before 2030. The operation of Shinkansen trains on the entire corridor — the foundation stone for which was laid in Sept 2017 — would be possible only by 2033, sources said.
This became evident after the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHRSCL) last week published the tender for the signalling system for running Vande Bharat trains, which are being developed as India’s indigenous bullet trains. As per the tender document, the successful bidder will have to design, manufacture, supply, install and maintain the signalling and train control system. This will be the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-2, different from the Japanese DS-ATC signalling for Shinkansen trains.
The contract period for ETCS-2 is seven years from the date of award of work. Sources said the deployment of ETCS-2 on the corridor will ensure utilisation of the infrastructure. The plan is to start commercial operations of Vande Bharat trains on this track in 2027.
“There is no point in keeping this high capital-intensive project unutilised for want of Japanese trains. Even when the Vande Bharat trains are operational, the installation of the Japanese signalling system for Shinkansen trains can be carried out. The timeline for introduction of the E-10 series trains (an advanced version of bullet trains) in 2030 or later can be finalised once the trains meeting Indian conditions are made available,” a source said.
As per the plan, once the Shinkansen trains are fully operational, the advanced versions of Vande Bharat trains and the ETCS would be shifted to other projects.
Neither the railway ministry nor the NHSRCL respond to queries about the signalling tender and the timeline of Shinkansen train operation on this corridor. However, officials said they are confident of getting the best Japanese bullet trains for the project by 2030, and that the Vande Bharat trains, to be introduced as a stopgap arrangement, and would meet the expectation of passengers.
