India rejects ex-Japan minister's 'delay' charge on Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: ‘Considerable variance with facts’

India has rubbished comments by a former Japanese minister blaming New Delhi for delays in the high-speed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, calling it “an individual opinion” at “considerable variance with facts”.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also said that discussions on the high-end project are progressing well.

"We have seen the post. It is an individual opinion and at considerable variance with facts. India-Japan discussions on Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed train are progressing well," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question on Friday, 17 July.

What did Japanese leader say?

Jaiswal’s response came over comments by Hideki Makihara, Japan’s former Justice Minister and a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who had blamed India for delays in the Indo-Japanese Shinkansen project.

"The Shinkansen project in India is something I was involved with myself, but what stood out in international meetings and negotiations was the sheer recklessness of the Indian side, repeated over and over. They just don't keep promises, no matter what. Even if they make a promise, they flip it right away," Makihara wrote on X.

Makihara also blamed the minister-in-charge for being ‘awful’. “They keep pushing their own self-interest right up to the very end. The minister in charge was especially awful—if the top guy's like that, there's no way to have any decent dealings. For the honour of all the Japanese folks who poured their hearts into this, I have to say it: I feel 100% that the reason this hasn't moved forward is entirely on the Indian side,” he added.

What is the project?

The 508-kilometre (315.66 miles) high-speed rail in western India, linking the nation’s financial hub Mumbai with Ahmedabad in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, has faced delays because of slow land acquisition. When India and Japan signed the 2015 agreement, the project was to be completed in seven years at an estimated cost of 976.3 billion rupees ($10.1 billion). Japan agreed to provide 81% funding and use the country’s Shinkansen technology.

Sharing details on the project's progress, Jaiswal said that India-Japan discussions on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train are progressing well. “Japan will provide the E10 series train in the early 2030s. The train in question is still under development, “ Jaiswal said.

Meanwhile, the MEA says construction work has rapidly progressed. “The first section will be opened in 2027 itself. Therefore, both sides agreed to start operations with the Indian high-speed train. Signalling equipment has been ordered accordingly and is in line with international specifications. No Japanese offer was received in this context. The project execution is in line with the common goal of starting the high-speed train project at the earliest,” Jaiswal said.

Last week, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the first bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is now under construction. He said the first section of the bullet train will be launched next year.

“Next year, we will start the first section of the bullet train in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section between Surat and Bilimore. Then, section by section, immediately after that, we will go from Vapi to Surat, then we'll go from Vapi to Ahmedabad, then Ahmedabad to Thane, then Ahmedabad to Mumbai," the Minister said.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was in India earlier this month on a three-day trip to deepen economic ties and strengthen security cooperation as the two nations seek to balance ties with the US and China.

(With Bloomberg inputs)