Japanese PM pitches for bullet trains, says they are accident-safe

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday pitched for introducing superfast bullet trains in India.

“Since its inception (in Japan), there has been no accidents. We will like to see this technology being used in India,” Hatoyama said here.

Official sources said the proposal was under discussion and the Railway Ministry was exploring the possibilities of introducing superfast trains on certain routes like Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Delhi-Chandigarh sectors.

India and Japan also decided to work out all logistical and funding issues related to the western Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor with an aim of implementing its first phase next year.

A joint statement, issued after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama, said the two leaders would work together for conclusion of the agreement for the main loan for the first phase by March 2010.

The main loan amount for the 900-km-long first phase of the project from Rewari in Haryana and Vadodara in Gujarat is Rs 17,700 crore, mainly from Japan. “Both sides will strive for early finalisation of a funding and implementation schedule for the whole western corridor (that covers a distance of 1,483 km from Jawaharlal Nehru Terminal in Mumbai to Tughlakabad in Delhi via Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.) We have decided to finalise all details for phase I within the next few months, so that actual implementation can begin in 2010 itself,” Singh said.

“We also endorsed the plan to take the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project forward,” he said, adding that both the projects would have a significant positive impact on the Indian economy and on the scale of economic cooperation with Japan.

Source: Indian Express