Ever Since Indian government has taken a decision to introduce a bullet train ( High Speed Rail ) between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, all hell has been let loose by the opposition parties of India in decrying this decision om PM Modi which has the capacity to transform the Indian economy and the lives of common citizenry of India in a decade or so. The government is being touted as anti common man but India has a history of terming most of the progressive measures as repressive. Computerisation was supposed to be anti workers, so was industrialisation. This was generally the view of left parties but today even the centrist party like Congress which was the initiator of the computerisation and industrialisation has joined in the unholy alliance of decrying bullet train through its leaders and large number of crumb getters who earned the title of intelligentsia through its patronage.
I will give three examples from railways which were outstanding efforts of the crumb givers of this intelligentsia and they rightly sang praises of the effort of the then Indian Government.But today their wisdom seems to have eluded them and they see everything wrong with this path breaking step by Mr. Modi.
a) Rajdhani Express was
introduced in 1969, for providing fast connections (up to 140 km/h or 87 mph,
speed variation depending upon the particular track section) from New Delhi to
the capital cities of various states in India.
b) Under the aegis of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways, Palace on Wheels was introduced on January 26, 1982. ... Thus, with a view to promote tourism in Rajasthan and to provide the world travelers a royal experience of traveling, Palace on Wheels was launched in the year 1982.
b) Under the aegis of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways, Palace on Wheels was introduced on January 26, 1982. ... Thus, with a view to promote tourism in Rajasthan and to provide the world travelers a royal experience of traveling, Palace on Wheels was launched in the year 1982.
c) Rajdhani Express was
introduced in 1969, for providing fast connections (up to 140 km/h or 87 mph,
speed variation depending upon the particular track section) from New Delhi to
the capital cities of various states in India.
But there are some sane voices also. The truth about bullet train has been reflected by Suresh Goel in The track to success: on the bullet train project . There are three advantages from the HSR project: economic benefits, including infrastructure development and job creation; technological development, in which Indian companies imbibe the new technologies and potentially also become suppliers to HSR contracts worldwide; and cultural transformation through a demonstrated ability to implement large projects and improve safety.
Investment in infrastructure development has always acted as a catalyst in the economic growth of India. This project could provide an important boost to public investment. The soft funding of the project by the Japanese government is an additional advantage, which brings the two countries together and provides significant economic benefits. In addition to creating demand for local industry, the project would also generate significant employment for a large number of skilled and unskilled workers. The HSR system is more energy- and fuel-efficient. Studies show that HSR systems are around three times more fuel-efficient than aeroplanes and five times more fuel-efficient than cars. Given the traffic density in this corridor, this project could lead to a significant reduction in India’s carbon footprint.
Equally sane and eye opener is the article How Japan's bullet train can transform Indian Railways into a global leader in size, scale & skill. which lays stress on the spinoff benefits. it is a different level of technology and India can ill afford to ignore it at this stage of its national development. A network of HSR in the longer run would facilitate travelling with enhanced passenger comfort, safety and environmental benefits. An HSR system would also release capacity of existing rail lines, enabling faster movement of freight and passenger traffic on the existing lines. The HSR system also releases capacity of airports as short-haul flights get curtailed. This capacity in turn could be utilised for longer duration flights that improve economics of air transport. In addition, development of new cities, promotion of manufacturing to supply equipment and components for the HSR system would provide employment to a growing and better skilled workforce. Investment in HSR is a highly beneficial system because of its various spinoffs, including infusion of new technology in the country which in the long run would lead to improvement in the operations of the existing railway network also. The project is being structured in a manner that it leads to large-scale manufacturing of rolling stock, signalling systems and other electrical equipment and components under Make in India. Additionally The highs peed train will act as a huge social and psychological change act — it should change the mindset of Indians, particularly the Railways, and teach them the art of excellence, safety, punctuality and perfection.
Equally sane and eye opener is the article How Japan's bullet train can transform Indian Railways into a global leader in size, scale & skill. which lays stress on the spinoff benefits. it is a different level of technology and India can ill afford to ignore it at this stage of its national development. A network of HSR in the longer run would facilitate travelling with enhanced passenger comfort, safety and environmental benefits. An HSR system would also release capacity of existing rail lines, enabling faster movement of freight and passenger traffic on the existing lines. The HSR system also releases capacity of airports as short-haul flights get curtailed. This capacity in turn could be utilised for longer duration flights that improve economics of air transport. In addition, development of new cities, promotion of manufacturing to supply equipment and components for the HSR system would provide employment to a growing and better skilled workforce. Investment in HSR is a highly beneficial system because of its various spinoffs, including infusion of new technology in the country which in the long run would lead to improvement in the operations of the existing railway network also. The project is being structured in a manner that it leads to large-scale manufacturing of rolling stock, signalling systems and other electrical equipment and components under Make in India. Additionally The highs peed train will act as a huge social and psychological change act — it should change the mindset of Indians, particularly the Railways, and teach them the art of excellence, safety, punctuality and perfection.
