Japanese Engineer Raises Concerns Over India's Bullet Train Signalling Choice
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Economy
Why in news
A Japanese engineer formerly associated with India's Bullet Train project has publicly criticized India's decision to adopt European signalling technology over Japan's system, warning of impacts on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor and future bilateral railway cooperation. His remarks have not been officially responded to by authorities.
Background
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, launched in 2015, is India's first bullet train corridor, built with Japanese Shinkansen technology and financed through Japanese yen loans. It aims to operate trains at speeds up to 320 kmph along a 508-km route.
Key facts
Hideki Makihara, a Japanese railway engineer formerly involved with the MAHSR project, raised concerns on X and his blog.
He alleged that India's decision to adopt ETCS-L2 signalling over Japan's DS-ATC could impact the project and future railway cooperation.
NHSRCL floated a tender in January 2025 specifying ETCS-L2 as the signalling standard for the entire corridor.
Makihara argued that two different signalling systems cannot operate simultaneously on the same high-speed rail line.
He claimed the change marks a departure from the 2015 India-Japan cooperation agreement on the Bullet Train project.
Makihara expressed doubts over India's plans to use domestically manufactured high-speed trains (BEML) for initial operations, citing lack of experience.
He noted that railway depots were designed for Japan's E5 Shinkansen trains, potentially creating compatibility issues with Indian-built trainsets.
Japan had proposed supplying two Shinkansen trainsets free of cost for testing and training, but Makihara alleged India did not accept.
Makihara stated that delays in the project are 'entirely on the Indian side' due to repeated changes in commitments.
His remarks have not received an official response from Indian authorities.
Prelims pointers
- Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor
- National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL)
- Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) technology
- European Train Control System Level-2 (ETCS-L2)
- DS-ATC (Digital-Speed Automatic Train Control) - Japanese signalling
- BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited) - Indian manufacturer
- E5 Shinkansen trainset
- B28 high-speed trainset (India's proposed indigenous train)
- India-Japan cooperation agreement (2015) on bullet train
- Japanese yen loans for MAHSR
Mains angles
- GS2 International Relations: India-Japan strategic partnership and technology transfer issues in infrastructure projects.
- GS3 Infrastructure: Challenges in implementing high-speed rail projects, technology choices, and indigenous manufacturing.
- GS3 Science and Technology: Signalling systems for high-speed rail - ETCS-L2 vs DS-ATC, interoperability issues.
- GS3 Economy: Impact of project delays on cost, financing, and bilateral economic cooperation.