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Times of India | Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: Progress, delays and where the project stands now

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Nine years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inaugurated India’s first bullet‑train project, the Mumbai‑Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor is steadily advancing through construction. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reported that 349 km of viaduct work is complete on the 508‑km route, with 90 % of the line set to run on elevated tracks, 443 km of concrete pillars erected, and extensive overhead equipment installed. Land acquisition for the entire 1,389.5‑hectare project is finished, all statutory clearances obtained, and utilities shifted. In Gujarat, foundation, pier, girder casting and track‑bed work have progressed significantly, while Maharashtra has seen notable work at Thane, Virar, Boisar and the underground Bandra‑Kurla Complex station. Eight of the twelve planned stations have foundations in place, seven river bridges are finished, and work on major bridges, depots and the 7‑km under‑sea tunnel is underway. The project is moving toward indigenous train manufacturing, with BEML contracted to build the first Indian‑made high‑speed coaches. Trains are expected to run at 250 km/h (design speed 280 km/h) on infrastructure built for up to 320 km/h, offering a fast service that could cut Mumbai‑Ahmedabad travel time to just over two hours, and an all‑stop service in under three hours, significantly faster than current rail options.

#NarendraModi #ShinzoAbe #AshwiniVaishnaw #BEML

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: Progress, delays and where the project stands now

Nine years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched India’s first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in 2017, the ambitious rail infrastructure plan is still racing through construction stages.

The Times of India

Joseph Lim

May 19

"60m by 2030" was #ShinzoAbe 's target👇 but at what price to visitor experience & locals' wellbeing?🤔 Glad we've experienced a decade of visits when #Japan celebrated 5mil🤭 tourists as a milestone - 2025's 40mil was already too crowded.🚷

Japan's 2030 goal of 60 mil. foreign visitors hinges on regional tourism
"Te #Japanese #government approved in March te 5th basic plan for promoting Japan as a #tourism-oriented country, setting a 2030 target of 60mil inbound visitors"🤦‍♂️
https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/76174

OPINION: Japan's 2030 goal of 60 mil. foreign visitors hinges on regional tourism

The Japanese government approved in March the fifth basic plan for promoting Japan as a tourism-oriented country, setting a 2030 target of 60 million inbound visitors -- roughly 40 percent more than in 2025 -- a goal seen as unattainable without drawing more travelers to regional areas.

Japan Wire by Kyodo News

The Japan Times May 10

Japan's Golden Week diplomatic push highlights a growing focus on economic security and strategic outreach, but its compressed timing and lack of institutional flexibility raise doubts about how strategic it truly is. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/05/10/japan/japans-recent-diplomatic-offensive/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #indopacific #middleeast #europe #africa #us #china #vietnam #australia #centralasia #southasia #russia #southeastasia #shinzoabe #freeandopenindopacific #foip #diet

Is Japan’s recent diplomatic offensive ‘strategic’?

Prime Ministger Takaichi risks continuing a pattern of compressed, opportunistic diplomacy — busy, but not always effective.

The Japan Times

The Japan Times May 6

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has vowed to continue the diplomatic policy approach of her mentor and former leader Shinzo Abe during her latest tour of Vietnam and Australia. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/06/japan/politics/sanae-takaichi-diplomacy-shinzo-abe/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #vietnamjapanrelations #australiajapanrelations #vietnam #australia #sanaetakaichi #shinzoabe

Takaichi aims to boost diplomacy through revamp of her mentor's policies

The prime minister has vowed to continue former leader Shinzo Abe's diplomatic approach during her latest tour of Vietnam and Australia.

The Japan Times

The Japan Times Apr 27

Sanae Takaichi's economic strategy seeks to break Japan's stagnation by boosting investment and demand despite high debt, a theory advanced by Takuji Aida that remains promising but uncertain in practice. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/04/27/understanding-sanaenomics/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #sanaenomics #abenomics #japaneseeconomy #shinzoabe #sanaetakaichi #ldp

Struggling to understand Sanaenomics? A new book helps.

Takaichi argues the solution is investment — with Aida proposing a 'high-pressure economy' where demand outstrips supply and the government breaks the deadlock.

The Japan Times

The Japan Times Apr 21

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made an offering to a shrine seen by Japan's neighbors as glorifying its wartime past, in a move that stops short of a visit but may still anger China and other neighboring nations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/21/japan/politics/takaichi-ritual-offering-yasukuni-shrine/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #yasukunishrine #sanaetakaichi #wwii #china #southkorea #wardead #shinzoabe

Takaichi risks China's wrath with offering to Yasukuni Shrine

The prime minister's offering of a sacred tree was made on the first day of a traditional spring festival.

The Japan Times

David Grayless Mar 24

On 24 Mar 2020: Japan's Prime Minister #ShinzōAbe announces the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the summer of 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.