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Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of aChina-like high-speed rail model
worthit?Rahul Kanwal Beijing, May 13, 2015 | UPDATED 18:45 IST
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Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
worth it? : World, News - Indi...
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-china-visit-global-roundtable-super-fast-train-railways/1...
1 of 8 14/May/2015 10:28 AM
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China currently has a 16,000-km high-speed railway network
across the country.
With Prime Minister Modi all set to land in Xian, the home town
of Chinese
President Xi Jingping, all eyes are on the major outcomes from
this visit. The
Railways is expected to be the most important driver of this
visit. The two
countries are expected to sign a major memorandum on expanding
cooperation
in the building of a high speed rail corridor between Delhi and
Chennai. India
Today Group's Rahul Kanwal boarded a high speed train from
Beijing to Xian to
assess the advantages and disadvantages of adopting China's high
speed rail
model. This is an India Today Group exclusive.
For the People's Republic of China, building the world's largest
super-fast rail
network has been closely linked to the country's booming global
ambition. In the
early 1990s, the average passenger train in China ran at a speed
of only 48
kilometres per hour. The roads were badly congested and the
people were forced
to fly even for short journeys. It was in 1999 that China began
building its first
high-speed rail corridor. Within 15 years, China has already
built a national
network that is bigger than all the high-speed corridors of the
world put together.
On the other hand, at the time of Independence, India's rail
network was nearly
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Exclusive: Is PM Modi's dream of ahigh-speed rail model worth
it?
Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
worth it? : World, News - Indi...
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-china-visit-global-roundtable-super-fast-train-railways/1...
2 of 8 14/May/2015 10:28 AM
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network. But since then, China has nearly quadrupled its rail
network to about
1,10,000 km; India on the other hand has barely added 11,000 km
of tracks in
the same period.
Ironically, back in the late 19th century, the Indian Railways
was laying tracks in
different parts of Africa and even surveying potential rail
routes to China through
Burma. But now the Chinese have left us far behind and the
Indian railways has
been left with a lot of catching up to do.
When PM Modi announced his quest for a high-speed rail corridor
linking
India's biggest cities, questions were asked about whether it
was worth spending
the kind of money that is required to fund this expensive dream.
Even in China, a
hot debate had raged over whether or not it was worth investing
huge sums of
money on a project that could not be afforded by a majority of
the people in the
country. According to conservative estimates, the total cost of
funding China's
high speed rail corridor has been upwards of a whopping $300
billion in the past
decade and a half.
China's early high-speed trains were imported or built under
technology transfer
agreements with foreign train makers such as Alstom, Siemens,
Bombardier and
Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Chinese engineers then re-designed
the internal
train components and built indigenous trains with the ability to
reach
operational speeds of up to 380 kmph. The average speed on these
trains at
present is 200 kmph.
China currently has a 16,000-km high-speed railway network
across the country.
But that is not restricting the scale of the country's ambition.
Chinese authorities
are now planning to build a 7,000 km-long high-speed railway
line linking
Beijing to Moscow. This railway line will cost US $250 billion
and will pass
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Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
worth it? : World, News - Indi...
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3 of 8 14/May/2015 10:28 AM
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world's current longest high-speed line.
Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Beijing, the Chinese
authorities have
been pushing for a pilot project to showcase the country's
high-speed railway
prowess to the Indian people. China is currently conducting a
feasibility study for
the $36 billion, 1,754-km Delhi-Chennai high-speed corridor.
China wants to
speed up implementation of a shorter high-speed rail corridor
from Chennai to
Bengaluru and from Delhi to Agra even as the feasibility study
is underway.
Interestingly, PM Modi's declaration of India's intent to build
a high speed rail
corridor has led to intense competition between Chinese and
Japanese
companies. A study done by the World Bank says that Chinese
projects are one
third cheaper than high speed projects by other countries. But
the flip side to the
cost argument is national security. India needs to decide if it
is prepared to
entrust an infrastructure sector with grave national security
ramifications to
Chinese companies.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced that the government
is
seeking US $137 billion worth of investments in the Indian
Railways over the
next 5 years. Japan and France are the other countries bidding
for a share of
modernising India's rail system, which is the fourth largest in
the world. Days
ahead of Modi's visit, the Chinese ambassador to India has
announced that deals
worth US $10 billion are expected to be signed this week. A
major part of this
investment is likely to go towards upgrading the Indian
Railways.
For more news from India Today, follow us on Twitter @indiatoday
and on Facebook atfacebook.com/IndiaToday
For news and videos in Hindi, go to AajTak.in. . .
Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
worth it? : World, News - Indi...
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-china-visit-global-roundtable-super-fast-train-railways/1...
4 of 8 14/May/2015 10:28 AM
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Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
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Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
worth it? : World, News - Indi...
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-china-visit-global-roundtable-super-fast-train-railways/1...
6 of 8 14/May/2015 10:28 AM
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MAIL PRINT
Reply 3 3 AbuseWord | Share
Posted by: franklyspeakingMay 13, 2015
Bluet trains are not economical viable option as of now or in
next 20 years ... it willcompete with Airlines, not a replacement
for Indian railways ... So it would be prudent forgovt of India to
increase the speed and facility of current system from 50 km/hr to
120km/hr as its priority task.. since India has smaller area to
cover even if we run our trains atthe avrg speed 120 km/hr it will
be more than sufficient for next 2-4 daces .. aim for Bluettrains
in 2025 onward if you think you really need it. only a small
percentage of travelerwant to pay significantly high fare to save
few hrs.. those can opt for airlines. . .. I amhopping govt will me
more pragmatic than
Posted by: Dharmendra BhattMay 13, 2015
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Tags: Modi | China visit | Railways
Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
worth it? : World, News - Indi...
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-china-visit-global-roundtable-super-fast-train-railways/1...
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Reply 5 1 AbuseWord | Share
Reply 1 0 AbuseWord | Share
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Posted by: ThrinethranMay 13, 2015
The government should pursue a more relevant and realistic
ambition of doubling thespeed and capacity, with improved speed and
efficiency, of the country's long- distance railservices. Apart
from enthusing people across the country, this would boost the
economyboth in the short and long term.
Posted by: Patriotic IndianMay 13, 2015
Woh bhi kar hi rahe hain...bt does not mean we should not pursue
other betteroptions/modes!!
Exclusive: Is Modi's dream of a China-like high-speed rail model
worth it? : World, News - Indi...
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-china-visit-global-roundtable-super-fast-train-railways/1...
8 of 8 14/May/2015 10:28 AM