Japan ex-minister claims ‘recklessness’ on bullet prepare challenge, India rejects | India Information
4 min learnNew DelhiUp to date: Jul 18, 2026 04:42 AM IST
Hours after a former Japanese minister alleged on social media that India had displayed “sheer recklessness” in its bullet prepare challenge that stalled its progress, the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) rejected the declare as a “private opinion…at variance with details” and mentioned discussions between each international locations had been progressing properly.
Taking to X on the mumbai-Ahmedabad Excessive Pace Rail (MAHSR) challenge, Hideki Makihara, former justice minister and a frontrunner of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Occasion, wrote: “The Shinkansen challenge in India is one thing I used to be concerned with myself, however what stood out in worldwide conferences and negotiations was the sheer recklessness of the Indian aspect, repeated again and again. They only don’t maintain guarantees, it doesn’t matter what. Even when they make a promise, they flip it instantly. They maintain pushing their very own self-interest proper as much as the very finish.”
The Japanese politician additionally alleged that the latest go to to India by Japan Prime minister Sanae Takaichi was a failure. “I really feel 100% that the rationale this has not moved ahead is totally on the Indian aspect. No end result from Prime Minister Takaichi’s go to both — ‘India Shinkansen’ failure: Japan excluded from the sign system, the important thing to security,” he posted.
Responding to the allegations, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal mentioned: “It’s a person opinion and at appreciable variance with details. India-Japan discussions on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Excessive Pace prepare are actually progressing properly. Japan will present E10 collection trains, however solely within the early 2030s.The prepare in query continues to be underneath growth. In the meantime, building work has quickly progressed. The primary part will likely be opened in 2027 itself. Due to this fact, each side agreed to begin the operations with Indian excessive velocity trains.”
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet prepare challenge (Picture: NHSRCL)
Jaiswal mentioned signalling gear has been ordered accordingly and is in step with worldwide specs. “No Japanese provide was obtained on this context. The challenge execution is in step with the frequent purpose of beginning the excessive velocity prepare challenge on the earliest,” he mentioned.
The Indian Railways has introduced that the primary 50-km part (Surat-Bilimora) of the 508-km challenge will likely be made operational with an India-made bullet prepare set (B28). The design velocity of the prepare is 280 kmph and two units are at the moment being developed by BEML in Bengaluru.
Moreover, India is at the moment deploying the European Prepare Management System (ETCS) Stage 2-based signalling within the Surat-Bilimora part, which is scheduled to be made operational by August 2027.
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Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet prepare challenge (Picture: NHSRCL)
In March, a report tabled in Parliament by the Standing Committee on Railways had pointed to “challenges” confronted in procuring rolling inventory from Japan for the challenge.
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet prepare challenge (Picture: NHSRCL)
A Rail Ministry consultant is quoted as saying within the report: “You’ll be joyful to know that we’re making B28 in India. Within the first stage, it’s going to run at 250 kmph. After that we are going to develop it for 350 or 320 kmph… Now we have to run the primary industrial service in Surat in August 2027… The signalling system associated to this will likely be ETCS Stage 2, which can function at 250 and 280 kmph. Its tender has already been awarded and we’re putting in it. (The) Japan one will come, however proper now we’re doing our personal work.”
