Mumbai: India’s ambitious high-speed rail dream has moved a step closer to reality with 15 Indian railway professionals undergoing specialised training in Japan to become the country’s first Shinkansen pilots for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.
The selected group comprises mid-career railway officers with prior experience in metro and conventional rail operations. The intensive training programme is being conducted in collaboration with Japanese agencies, including Japan International Cooperation Agency and JR East, and focuses on both technical proficiency and Japan’s globally admired rail safety culture.
A video from the training programme has gone viral, showing an Indian loco pilot practising the Japanese 'point-and-call' safety method, where drivers physically point at instruments and verbally confirm operational status. The technique is widely used in Japan to minimise human error and reinforce situational awareness. In the clip, the trainee also shares insights into the demanding training process and his experience of adapting to Japanese railway discipline.
Progress Of Bullet Train Project
Meanwhile, construction of India’s first bullet train corridor has entered a decisive phase. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the 508-km project has achieved over 56 per cent physical progress as of November. The project is being tracked under MoSPI’s Project Assessment Infrastructure Monitoring and Analytics for Nation Building portal.
So far, more than Rs 85,338 crore has been spent on the project, while the total estimated cost stands at approximately Rs 1.08 lakh crore upon completion. The corridor is designed to support trains running at speeds of up to 320 kmph, drastically reducing travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has earlier announced that India’s first bullet train will begin its inaugural run in August 2027, covering a 100-km stretch between Surat and Vapi. Once fully operational, the bullet train is expected to cover the Mumbai–Ahmedabad distance in just 1 hour and 58 minutes.
Officials believe the combination of rapid infrastructure progress and advanced human resource training in Japan will be critical to ensuring that India’s high-speed rail system meets global standards of safety, efficiency, and reliability.
