If everything goes well, India's first bullet train will be 'Made in Japan', a moniker that inspires respect and quality. Japan is expected to invest $8 billion in the track which will connect two commercial hubs -- Mumbai and Ahmedabad. A joint statement is expected to be released on Saturday when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits India.
On the face of it, the deal looks interesting and the prospect of having a bullet train route in the country is exciting. However, it is the cost that one needs to worry about. Bullet trains do not come cheap. The technology is time tested, but expensive. What has not been considered till now is the cost of maintenance. Once all these inputs are worked into fares, will people be able to afford it? High cost technology is alluring, but in the end one has to examine if the country can afford and if the economy can support it. In the race to build a modern India, New Delhi must not sacrifice sustainability. Japan has not been very successful in exporting its bullet train technology on account of the cost and New Delhi must tread carefully or risk losing over Rs 1 trillion on a track that could prove to be a white elephant.
