No Japanese Bullet Trains In India? PIB Fact-Checks Misleading Reports

Last Updated:July 14, 2025, 18:45 IST

Some reports have claimed that the government has dropped the plan to operate bullet trains in India, despite a recent milestone with the operationalisation of an undersea tunnel.

India's bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is currently underway. (PIB)

India achieved a major milestone in its goal to operate the first Japanese bullet train by opening the first section of the 21-km undersea tunnel between the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Thane. However, reports have surfaced claiming that the government has dropped the plan to operate bullet trains in India.

Some articles and social media posts claimed that the Ministry of Railways has decided not to run the Japanese bullet train on the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, using Japan’s Shinkansen technology. The project is estimated to be worth Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

However, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has debunked such false and misleading reports, saying that the Railway Ministry has made no such decision and the project is progressing as per the planned schedule.

“In the spirit of the strategic partnership between India and Japan, the Government of Japan has decided to introduce the next-generation E10 Shinkansen trains for this project. The entire 508-kilometre corridor is being developed using Japanese Shinkansen technology, setting new benchmarks in speed, safety, and reliability," said the PIB.

Notably, the bullet train project recently achieved a major milestone with the completion of 310 km of viaduct construction. Track laying, construction of overhead electrical wires, stations, and bridges is going on at a rapid pace, said the Ministry of Railways in an official statement.

Out of the total 21 km-long undersea tunnel, 5 km is being constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) between Shilphata and Ghansoli, while the remaining will be built using Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). The tunnel also includes a 7-km-long undersea section beneath Thane Creek, as per the statement.

At least 15 river bridges have been completed, and 4 are in the advanced stages of construction. Out of 12 stations, 5 are completed, and 3 more are now reaching the completion stage. Comprehensive safety measures have been implemented at the project site to ensure safe and controlled tunnelling activities without disturbing nearby structures.

Notably, the Japanese Shinkansen is currently running E5 trains. The next generation trains are E10. In the spirit of strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project.

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

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