Piyush Goyal defends bullet train project, draws parallel to Maruti Suzuki

Shinzo Abe will be visiting India to attend the 'Bhoomi Poojan' for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project

While assuring the transportation revolution that the new Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train would bring, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday drew a parallel to the criticism Suzuki faced when Maruti was brought in 30 years ago.

"I'd like to draw a parallel to Maruti Suzuki. When we partnered with Suzuki to bring in Maruti, a lot of people criticised the move. Can we imagine now that those two models, which isn't even made anymore, changed the way we travel," he said.

Goyal further said that Maruti Suzuki paved the way for a change in the transportation sector, with a hope that the bullet train would bring about a similar change in the country.

He said, "It was a matter of 30 years. The old technology became redundant and the whole country is travelling in new cars. I am sure that the bullet train will transform the transportation sector of India in the future."

He quelled the fears of the "naysayers", saying that people with optimistic thinking would help India move ahead.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also be visiting India to attend the 'Bhoomi Poojan' and foundation stone laying ceremony of the Rs 97,636-crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail link, which will use Japanese bullet train technology.

During the visit, Prime Minister Abe will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is expected to serve as the "top salesman" for the adoption of the Shinkansen technology by other Indian railway systems, with China also aiming to win orders for the projects, the Japan Times had reported earlier in August.

The 500-km railway will link Mumbai and Ahmedabad in Western India, with services planned to commence in 2023. This train is based on Japanese high-speed technology called Shinkansen, which is known for its safety and comfort.

India has pledged to build high-speed railways, focused on the four major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

When Prime Minister Modi went to Japan last November, he travelled by Shinkansen with his Japanese counterpart from Tokyo to Kobe to visit a bullet train plant of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd, a maker of Shinkansen cars.