What is the issue?
- The recent launch of the highly expensive Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail (HSR) project has drawn criticisms of being elitist.
- However, a closer scrutiny reveals the many opportunities and advantages of the bullet train projects.
What are the benefits?
- The project provides for Japan to transfer the Shinkansen technology.
- Besides, it will also train Indian workforce in sophisticated construction technologies, providing a fillip to Make-in-India.
- As an aspirational project, HSR will help IR build international standards of engineering and services.
- Also, HSR technology is environmentally benign and addresses the concerns of depleting fossil fuel reserves, climate change, etc.
- HSR facilitates a much lower energy consumption per passenger km.
- As, it emits one-eighth of carbon dioxide that cars emit and one-fifth of airplanes per passenger km.
- Besides, it comes as an alternative in the context of overcrowded airports, delayed flights and congested roads.
- It requires much less land than motorways and thus has more passenger carrying capacity.
- By helping alleviate migration to metropolises, it can be a catalyst for economic growth and be a stimulus for the development of satellite towns.
- The development of important centres along the route can facilitate a wide range of economic activity, providing jobs.
- By providing services from and to city centres, it has the potential to boost tourism, escalate property values, and aid the growth of services sector in new areas.
Source: Financial Express
