New Delhi: In a significant development for India’s bullet train ambitions, Japan is set to provide two Shinkansen trainsets—one each from the E5 and E3 series—to India at no cost, to be used as inspection and testing vehicles for the under-construction Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.
According to informed sources, the trains operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) will be retrofitted with specialised inspection equipment before being delivered to India in early 2026.
These trainsets will be key in collecting environmental and operational data, particularly in India’s challenging conditions marked by high temperatures and dust levels.
The move comes as both nations continue to collaborate on India’s first bullet train project, a roughly 500-kilometre corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, which is being developed using Japanese Shinkansen technology.
The corridor, partially expected to be operational by August 2027, will eventually adopt the next-generation E10 series Shinkansen trains from JR East. However, the delivery of these cutting-edge trainsets is unlikely to align with the partial opening timeline, necessitating the interim use of inspection vehicles.
Initially, the E5 series was earmarked for passenger services on the line, but delays in procurement and concerns over high costs led India to consider domestically manufactured, semi-high-speed alternatives.
To address this impasse, Japan proposed supplying the E5 and E3 trains for testing purposes free of charge, alongside a future supply of E10 trains—an offer India has tentatively accepted.
The inspection trains will help simulate real-world operating conditions and aid the eventual design or adaptation of E10 series trains for Indian usage.
These test results may also support potential local manufacturing of the new-generation trainsets in India, aligned with the broader “Make in India” initiative.
Japan is currently funding about 80 per cent of the estimated Rs 1.05 lakh crore project cost through low-interest yen loans. With project costs likely to rise, Tokyo and New Delhi are discussing a revised funding framework that may be finalised during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Japan for a bilateral summit.
The initiative mirrors Japan’s past strategy, when it gifted a first-generation Shinkansen (0 series) to Taiwan as a test vehicle during the early stages of Taiwan High Speed Rail development.
