German aid likely for Bengaluru-Chennai bullet train

In October last year, India and Germany signed a deal on bilateral cooperation in the rail sector

Germany is likely to follow Japan in aiding India’s quest for superfast trains. After laying the foundations of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train with aid from Japan, India is tapping Germany to finance and execute the proposed Chennai-Bengaluru high-speed rail project, which will have almost the same terms as the Japanese venture.

For the Rs 1,10,000-crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad project, Japan has offered a loan of Rs 88,000 crore at a minimal interest of 0.1 per cent, which can be repaid in 50 years. “Germany has shown an interest in executing and giving a loan for the Chennai-Bengaluru bullet train project. Discussions are in