Japan to gift high-speed Shinkansen trains to India for bullet train testing

Japan plans to provide high-speed trains for free to India as test and inspection vehicles for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, which is currently under construction, a development that comes as a boost to India’s maiden high-speed rail project.

The East Japan Railway E5 and E3 shinkansen (high-speed rail technology) trains to be provided for the purpose have aerodynamic designs and advanced safety systems, and they ensure a smooth ride, according to people in the know. India had originally planned to use E5 trains, which have the highest speed of 320 kmph, but there were delays and cost escalations. The E3 is an older model. India is also in talks for E10 models.

“One train set each from the E5 and E3 series will be delivered to India in early 2026, after they are fitted with inspection equipment. The inspection trains will collect data on driving conditions, including the effects of high temperatures and dust, to aid possible future production of E10 trains in India,” said a report published in the Japan Times this week.

“The Japanese and Indian governments plan to adopt in the early 2030s the next-generation E10 series shinkansen of JR East for the roughly 500-kilometer high-speed rail link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India. The delivery of the E10 trains will unlikely be in time for the line's partial opening, aimed for August 2027,” it said.

To break the deadlock in the negotiations, Japan last year proposed the introduction of E10 trains and free-of-charge provision of E5 and E3 trains. India accepted the offer.

“Low-interest yen loans from the Japanese government are planned to be used to cover about 80% of the project's overall costs, which were originally forecast at some 1.8 trillion Yens,” said a Japan Times report. “As the costs are now expected to grow, however, the two governments plan to create a new yen loan framework that will enable the introduction of E10 trains, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Japan for a bilateral summit.”

The bullet train project is funded by a low-interest loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, covering about 80 per cent of the costs. The repayment is spread over 50 years at 0.1 per cent interest.