Bullet train trial runs to be conducted on E5 Shinkansen trainsets

The Ministry of Railways will conduct trial runs for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (HSR) corridor on the Japanese E5 Shinkansen trainsets and will later run the latest version of the train, sources aware of the matter said.

 

“The Japanese Shinkansen is currently running E5 trains. The next-generation trains are E10. In the spirit of the strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. It is noteworthy that E10 will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan,” the ministry said on Monday, refuting allegations that the government has shut down the plan to run Shinkansen trains.

 

According to sources, the ministry’s plan is to run Vande Bharat High-Speed trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor first, but the eventual plan is to run Shinkansen trainsets. 

 

“The entire 508 km corridor is being developed with Japanese Shinkansen technology. It will set new benchmarks for speed, safety, and reliability. This reflects the deep strategic and technological cooperation between India and Japan,” the ministry's statement said.

 

Moreover, the ministry confirmed that future high-speed corridors are in the works. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised multiple bullet train corridors in its manifesto.

 

“The success of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project is laying the foundation for future bullet train corridors in India. Future corridors are also under active consideration,” the ministry said.