The thought of riding a bullet train from Delhi to Kolkata in five hours is mind-boggling. The Rajdhani takes about 17 hours to cover the distance and that is why bullet trains look attractive. But the cost of creating the corridor will be Rs 84,000 crore, not taking into account cost overruns. That’s when the head scratching begins. So one has to ask the question whether bullet trains are just a fancy dream in the Indian context? Since the entire track and trains will have to be built by either the Japanese or Chinese, there will be no real transfer of technology and India will just be a contractor. Bullet trains are in use in Japan, China, France and Germany. The US has shown interest in high-speed trains, but the high cost is a worry. India’s dalliance with high-speed trains will come at a very high cost and the government must do a re-think before sinking money into projects that will benefit only the upper class, because these are the only people who might be able to afford a trip. And if they decide that flying is faster, India could end up with a ghost train instead of a bullet train.
