According to “The Indian Express” website on the 6th, local time on the afternoon of the 5th, India Mumbai – Ahmedabad high-speed rail construction line of a site of the concrete block collapse accident, resulting in the death of three workers and one worker was injured.
The accident occurred in a village near the Mahi River in Anand district of Gujarat. Officials of the National High Speed Railway Corporation of India Ltd. said a temporary structure of reinforced concrete blocks used for drilling the base of a well collapsed at around 4 p.m., trapping the workers under the debris. The government immediately launched a rescue operation, mobilizing cranes and excavators to clear the debris. However, of the four workers trapped, two died on the spot, one was declared dead at the hospital, and one is still undergoing treatment at the hospital. The Indian High Speed Rail Corporation, which is responsible for the project, is investigating the cause, and rescue work is also under way.
The high-speed rail line connects Mumbai, the commercial capital of Maharashtra, with Ahmedabad, an industrial city in Gujarat, and is 508 kilometers long.The decision to import the Shinkansen approach was made in 2015 during talks between then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the high-speed rail company that was set up subsequently started work in 2017, with the high-speed rail line originally scheduled to open in 2023. If completed, the journey between the two cities, which takes about six hours by ordinary railroad, will be shortened to two hours.
This is India’s first high-speed rail project to use Japan’s Shinkansen technology, with about 80 percent of the cost covered by Japanese yen loans, the report said. Although initially targeted to open in 2023, the project has been significantly delayed due to land acquisition negotiations and the Shinkansen epidemic. The project is now expected to begin trial runs in 2026 and become operational around 2027.
India Asia International News Agency (ANI) reported on the 6th, “Mumbai – Ahmedabad” high-speed railroad can connect Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad and other commercial centers, is expected to change the status quo of India’s railroad. Japan’s “Yomiuri Shimbun” said that in India, the introduction of Japanese technology, the first high-speed rail construction is being promoted. For the commitment to confront China, vigorously promote the overseas export of infrastructure for Japan, India is a “potential market”.
However, for a long time on this “Indian version” of the Shinkansen voices of concern have never diminished. The Yomiuri Shimbun said the cost is a problem. Initially planned total project cost of 980 billion rupees (about 83.3 billion yuan), but due to the time-consuming project, labor costs continue to increase, the cost will be further inflated. Japan’s “Toyo Keizai Online” website commented that even if most of the project costs are provided by the yen loan, when the project revenue is not as expected, the business risk will increase dramatically.
Impact on India’s High Speed Rail Project
Delay in construction progress: The accident may lead to a temporary shutdown of the construction site for accident investigations and safety inspections, which will directly affect the progress of the project and may lead to project delays.
Enhanced safety review: The accident may trigger a safety review of the entire HSR project, which will not only involve the incident site, but may also extend to other construction sections. Such a review may identify other potential safety issues that will take time to resolve.
Increased costs: The incident may result in additional costs, including medical expenses, compensation, repair costs, and costs for enhanced safety measures. These additional costs may affect program budgets and funding allocations.
Decrease in public trust: The accident may affect public trust and support for the HSR project, in particular confidence in the adoption of Japan’s Shinkansen technology. This may have a negative impact on the long-term development and public acceptance of the project.
Impact on international cooperation: Since the Indian HSR project is an important project with Japan, the accident may affect the relationship between the two countries in terms of cooperation on HSR technology, which may have an impact on the international image of the project and future cooperation.
The accident has had some negative impact on the overall progress of the Indian HSR project, the extent of which will depend on the results of the investigation into the accident, the implementation of subsequent safety measures, and how the project managers respond to these challenges.
