Dream Vs Reality

Bullet Train in Indiais one of the most hot topic for any selection process. With the promise of Ache Din, Narendra Modi government came up with its first budget sanctioned 200 crores for bullet train project. It is to make sure that Indians should never stay behind in terms of speed and technology. Mr. PM even had a word with both Japan and China for the project.

Now the big question arises that, is bullet train in India really needed?
There are reasons to be positive about this project and there are reasons that makes us wonder if this is the first priority of a nation with majority of its population below poverty line. We have to look at it from all point of views and generate our own opinion on this.

It is reasonable to argue whether that money could be spent in upgrading much more slow moving train infrastructure. Government could double the speed at a fraction of this cost with newer tracks and trains.

Another criticism is that the ticket price will be as expensive as the air tickets pointing to questions on its success. Let’s list out the Pros:

Pros:
Technology acceleration:
As India learnt technology, the production cost to various projects came down quite quickly. We could send objects to Mars cheaper than the production cost of a Bollywood movie. The same could happen in bullet trains. Even if we import the tech from Japan now, 20 years from now, India could learn enough to become a major innovator in this sector.

The relation between Japan and India:
Japan and India have a huge potential to collaborate and this deal could kick start the process, just as the Maruti Suzuki 3 decades ago helped India become a player in the automotive business.

The speed:
For now the tickets will be costlier than air tickets, but that will also come at better speed and comfort. If we consider the recent Mumbai- Ahmedabad bullet train project, in the time it takes to reach the Mumbai airport from south Mumbai and spend almost an hour getting through all the checks and board, a traveler on the bullet train will already be in Ahmedabad.

Time-saver:
Every hour we could cut in an entrepreneur’s transportation time, the nation could benefit immensely in an indirect way. Business will flourish. Eventually, that could benefit across India.

The cons:
Economic view:
The cost of laying a bullet-train project is estimated to cost up to Rs 100 crore a kilometer. After adding up the costs of signals, rolling stock, etc. the cost can rise up to Rs 115 crore a km. Operation and maintenance costs would also be high.

Affordability:
Fares of these trains would be high in order to compensate the expenses and maintenance. One way fare on Mumbai-Ahmadabad route is projected to be around Rs 5,000. Quite few Indians would be able to afford travelling with these expenses. And even those who would be willing to pay such a high price might prefer travelling in aeroplaneinstead. If this factor is not considered, then the project might prove to be a loss for the government.

Land acquisition:
For laying tracks, there would be problems of land acquisition which might trigger anger amongst commoners whose everyday living might come under risks.

But even after knowing these pros and cons we can’t say if bullet train will be successful in India or not since we don’t know about India’s economy and technological advancement. So let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best results