A former Japanese minister has blamed Indian officials for the alleged delay in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, accusing them of failing to honour commitments during negotiations for the high-speed rail corridor.
Hideki Makihara, who is Japan's former justice minister, alleged in a post on X on Friday that an Indian minister and government officials displayed "sheer recklessness" while handling discussions on the Shinkansen project. He also noted that officials repeatedly failed to fulfil commitments and instead prioritised "self-interest."
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Makihara's remarks came after a Japanese opinion piece argued that India's flagship bullet train project had strayed from the original Shinkansen model. In his post on X, Makihara claimed that the delay in India's first high-speed rail corridor was "entirely on the Indian side".
India's inaugural high-speed rail line, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, is currently expected to begin phased passenger operation from August 15, 2027. The project is based on Japan's Shinkansen technology and is being partly financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Makihara was responding to an opinion article written by Isao Tsujimura, a senior Japanese railway engineer and Delhi-based metro vehicle consultant, which was published on a Tokyo-based business news portal on July 15.
In that article, Tsujimura argued that India's first bullet train project had significantly deviated from the original Japanese Shinkansen model. Tsujimura also alleged that Indian officials were privately aware that the target of commencing operations in 2023 was unrealistic.
Amid Makihara's allegations, ANI, citing Indian government sources, reported that discussions between India and Japan on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project were progressing smoothly. The report added that the Bullet Train project has recently achieved several key construction milestones.
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Makihara's comments on X were originally posted in Japanese. This report is based on an English translation of those remarks.
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