BITING THE BULLET
Business Standard|November 13, 2024
The Bullet Train has been a 'dream project'. Can it become a reality anytime soon?
DHRUVAKSH SAHA & SHINE JACOB
BITING THE BULLET

In February of 2007, J.P. Batra, Railway Board chairman at the time, presented the idea of a high-speed rail to then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. A socialist inspired by Jayaprakash Narayan, Yadav said his principles would never allow a premium train only the bourgeoisie could afford.

Batra, already credited with the Deccan Odyssey, a luxury tourism train, was so keen on the project that he defied the minister and convinced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to give the green signal. Batra and Finance Commissioner R. Sivadasan visited Gujarat and other states without even informing Yadav.

The Railway Board even considered a proposal to fund the project on the lines of the Cochin International Airport Ltd, the first airport in the country to operate under a public-private partnership with a robust stakeholder base of 19,000 investors, mostly non-resident Indians.

At that time, the estimated cost for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route was ₹25,000 crore.

Sivadasan and his peers hail the Gujarat trip as the turning point for the project. The state government, under the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, not only promised its unconditional support but also approved ₹10 crore for a feasibility study in Gujarat within a matter of hours.

Railway veterans say this sowed the seeds of the flagship Bullet Train project of the Bharatiya Janata Party government under Prime Minister Modi when he took charge in 2014.

As Batra signed off from the Railway Board in 2007, the project went off track. Two years later, though, socialist leader Yadav took a bullet train journey between Tokyo and Kyoto.

Denne historien er fra November 13, 2024-utgaven av Business Standard.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November 13, 2024-utgaven av Business Standard.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BUSINESS STANDARDSe alt
A SWEET DEAL
Business Standard

A SWEET DEAL

Bioplastics emerge as another revenue stream for sugar firms, a green one at that. Can the industry balance all the demands?

time-read
4 mins  |
November 26, 2024
Maha election results fire up PSU stocks
Business Standard

Maha election results fire up PSU stocks

Analysts believe NDA's landslide victory in the state will bring zing back to the markets that have seen some correction recently

time-read
3 mins  |
November 26, 2024
Adopt online banking, reduce branch visits to minimise vulnerability
Business Standard

Adopt online banking, reduce branch visits to minimise vulnerability

At the recently held State Bank of India Economist Conclave, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted that while bancassurance has improved insurance penetration, it has also led to mis-selling.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 26, 2024
Zomato shares zoom on Sensex inclusion
Business Standard

Zomato shares zoom on Sensex inclusion

Shares of Zomato rallied as much as 7.6 percent on Monday, buoyed by the stock's entry into the benchmark Sensex.

time-read
1 min  |
November 26, 2024
RIL shares rise on Citi's 'buy' call
Business Standard

RIL shares rise on Citi's 'buy' call

US brokerage has raised scrip target price to ₹1,530, an upside of over 18%

time-read
1 min  |
November 26, 2024
Business Standard

Godrej Properties to gain from strong land portfolio, demand outlook

Expansion of its development portfolio, brokerage upgrades, and strong outlook have led to a 15 percent gain for the stock of real estate major Godrej Properties (GPL) in six trading sessions.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 26, 2024
Rupee appreciates 0.2% to 84.29 against dollar
Business Standard

Rupee appreciates 0.2% to 84.29 against dollar

The rupee appreciated by 0.2 per cent against the US dollar on Monday, tracking gains in its Asian peers.

time-read
1 min  |
November 26, 2024
Edelweiss Financial explores minority stake sale in MF unit
Business Standard

Edelweiss Financial explores minority stake sale in MF unit

May value the business at $700-$800 million

time-read
1 min  |
November 26, 2024
Sensex reclaims 80,000 mark
Business Standard

Sensex reclaims 80,000 mark

Maha poll results, MSCI buying underscore gains

time-read
2 mins  |
November 26, 2024
Politics, culture and performance
Business Standard

Politics, culture and performance

\"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.\" If we start looking at ourselves as characters who perform, and observe where the stage is, a lot more can start to make sense.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 26, 2024