India’s bullet train faces 5-year delay: High costs, Japan firms not so keen

Workers at the Sabarmati hub of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, in Ahmedabad. (Express/file photo)

FROM LOW participation by Japanese companies to tenders cancelled because of steep rates quoted by bidders, India’s first bullet train project is stuck on multiple fronts — and staring at a delay of around five years.

The Indian Express has learnt that the Railways now expects the project to be commissioned fully by October 2028, instead of the original timeline of December 2023. The revised timeline has been estimated after talks with the Japanese team that is working on the project, sources said.

“We can…