Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: System similar to Japan's Shinkansen will be adoptedIndian Railways' firm delegated for the implementation of the country's first bullet train project,recently signed an agreement with a Japanese organisation for the construction and design of rail track for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited or NHSRCL signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with theJapan Railway Technical Service (JARTS) for advisory, training, and certification services for the railway track work.
(Also Read:Bullet Train Project: JV Of Tata Consulting Engineers Emerges Lowest Bidder For Contract)According to a statement released by the Indian Railways' special purpose vehicle, the workforce ofthe track contractors will be trained in thehighly specialised slab track technology ofJapanese Shinkansen or high-speed railway line network of Japan.
The rail track packages for the country's first bullet train corridor - Mumbai Ahmedabad high-speed rail, are open for participation by theIndian contractors.Theinitiative is said to help inthe transfer of technology and also strengthenthe skill sets of the Indian track engineers.This is withthe stipulation that the contractor's workforce will go throughspecialised technical training related to the Japanese Shinkansen track technology, before the start of work at the bullet train corridor's site.Additionally, theslab track system used for the Shinkansenis highly specialised and requires the utilisationof special machines.
A system that is similar to Japan's high-speed rail network will be adopted for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.According to the agreement signed withJapan Railway Technical Service, more than 1,000 people, part of the workforce, will be certified and trained.
Most of the train will be done in the country, for which a separate temporary training facility will be set up at Surat, Gujarat.
According to NHSRCL, closed arc or EA welding is not done in India, for which training in Japan for a period of 60 days is drawn.
Also, onsite training in Japan may also be organised for some engineers depending upon the COVID-19 situation.Incorporated in 1965, the Japan Railway Technical Service was establishedforrailway technology cooperation.
So far, the organisation has provided technical cooperation tomore than 60 countries and contributed to the development of railway systems across the world.Therolling stock of the bullet train corridor is being developed on the lines ofJapanese E5 Shinkansen technology.The 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA.