India will be able to beat America on one economic parameter: it will have a bullet train well before America does. President Joe Biden reportedly discussed with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington last week a plan to build the first high-speed rail in the US using Japanese bullet trains. The 380-km rail link has faced much delay. A senior Biden administration official told Reuters last week the project did not appear to have matured to the point where the leaders would announce progress publicly.
With its vast distances between major cities, huge commuter population, and dearth of public transport the US has attracted multiple high-speed rail proposals. But none has ever been built, blocked by political wrangling, land ownership riddles and skyrocketing costs. India’s first bullet train, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, will be operational in 2026 when the US is likely to start work on its own.
