Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba took part in a fascinating exchange during a 90-minute journey aboard the Shinkansen to Sendai, Japan, on Saturday.
The two leaders, travelling from Tokyo to Miyagi Prefecture, engaged in discussions about the future of high-speed rail in India and Japan’s renowned Shinkansen technology.
The ride, part of PM Modi’s visit to Japan, began at Tokyo Station, where an Indian driver currently training with JR East, Japan’s major rail operator, saw them off.
The two leaders spent the time discussing key topics, including the impact of Shinkansen’s history, safety, and its role in transforming rail travel.
PM Ishiba told reporters, “I had the honour of riding the Shinkansen with Prime Minister Modi again today, having lunch together, and touring Tokyo Electron. While Prime Minister Modi has ridden the Tokaido Shinkansen before, this was his first time on the Tohoku Shinkansen. After all, even if you see and hear about it, you can’t truly appreciate its comfort until you actually ride it, and I believe that by actually sitting in the driver’s seat, he was able to experience its speed for himself. We talked about railways throughout the hour and a half we spent on the journey to Sendai.”
Exploring the ‘ALFA-X’ Test Train
During the journey, the two leaders were introduced to the ‘ALFA-X’ test train, and they had the opportunity to explore the E5 Series Shinkansen driver’s cab, where they experienced its top speed of 320 km/h firsthand from the driver’s seat.
The Japanese PM stated, “The adoption of Japan’s Shinkansen technology and various Shinkansen technologies and rolling stock has been a thread that has continued from the Abe administration to the Suga and Kishida administrations, and now to us. I believe it was extremely meaningful for them to actually ride the train, and I believe they gained a deep understanding of how much effort we have put into ensuring accuracy and safety.”
“The E10 series train has never existed before, so they were not able to ride it. However, they were able to see the test train, the ‘ALFA-X’, parked at Omiya Station. I believe it was significant that they were able to see the test vehicle, which we are considering introducing to India, and that this was indeed the case,” he further added.
The Japanese Shinkansen currently operates the E5 trains, while the next-generation E10 trains are likely to debut.
E10 Shinkansen for India
As part of the strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce the E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.
Notably, the E10 will be launched simultaneously in both India and Japan.
“India is nine times larger than Japan, so what significance does building a Shinkansen or high-speed railway have there? How will it change India? How much will it cost to ride? And how will it contribute to economic development? Will it transport not only passengers but also cargo, or overnight sleeper cars? I seem to remember hearing somewhere that Modi, when he was still a Diet member, often took overnight trains to New Delhi. I had a similar experience, and there were many comments that resonated with me. After all, railways are a space of movement where everyone on board becomes friends, and in Modi’s words, they are ‘like a festival’. We shared this sentiment deeply,” the Japanese PM noted.
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