India Likely To Seek Japan's Help to Introduce High Speed Train

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the

Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Yoshihiko Noda,

at the joint press conference, in New Delhi

on December 28, 2011. Photo © PIB

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama): India is likely to seek Japanese cooperation for introduction of a high speed trains capable of travelling at 300 km per hour when leaders of the two countries meet here on Wednesday.

Indian Railways have shortlisted six corridors for conducting feasibility study for running high speed trains in the country and selected a Japanese consortium to explore the possibility of running a bullet train on the proposed Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Chennai high speed rail corridor in the southern part of the country, reports Press Trust of India (PTI).

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda are likely to discuss a range of issues including civil nuclear cooperation, high speed trains and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor when they meet here on Wednesday, official sources said.

Besides showing interest in India's high speed train, Japan is funding 80 per cent of the cost of construction of the 1499 km-long Western Dedicated Freight Corridor across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra states in the north and the west.

Japan's high speed trains Shinkansen operate at a speed of up to 300 km per hour and are known for their punctuality, comfort, safety and efficiency.

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi will also be meeting the Japanese PM to explore ways to enhance cooperation between the two nations in the rail sector, the sources said.

Railways have selected a Japanese consortium - Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) and Oriental Consultancy along with Parsons Brinkhoff India - to conduct the pre-feasibility study on the proposed 664 km long route for running the high speed train.

Railways plan to make the high speed rail corridor a catalyst for India's economic growth and a stimulus for the development of satellite towns, they said.

According to an estimate, it will cost about Rupees 1.0 billion (about US$20 million) to construct a one km dedicated high speed corridor. As per the preliminary report, rider ship revenues would be able to cover the operating cost of the project. -NNN-BERNAMA