New Delhi, July 17, 2026
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday rejected comments made by a former Japanese minister regarding delays in the bullet train project in India, terming them as ‘individual opinion’ and ‘at considerable variance with facts’.
“We have seen the post that has been referred to. It is an individual opinion and is at considerable variance with facts,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while responding to media queries at a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday.
“India-Japan discussions on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train are, in fact, progressing well. Japan will provide E10 series trains, but only in the early 2030s.The train in question is still under development. Meanwhile, construction work has rapidly progressed. The first section will be opened in 2027 itself. Therefore, both sides agreed to start the operations with the Indian high-speed train,” he added.
Former Japanese Justice Minister Hideki Makihara had made some comments on his social media account while responding to an opinion piece on the situation and about the signal system of the bullet train.
Addressing the concern, MEA spokesperson said that the 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,” said Jaiswal.
In January, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the country is likely to witness the launch of its first high-speed rail service on August 15, 2027.
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project represents a transformative phase in India’s railway development — as the country’s first high-speed rail corridor, which is introducing new standards in speed, connectivity, and infrastructure delivery, according to an official factsheet issued last month.
Significant advancements in civil works, bridge construction, and tunnelling indicate steady momentum towards project completion. The scale of construction achieved so far demonstrates steady progress across multiple project components.(Agency)
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