PARIKRAMA
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After Rafale, Paris gets rail invite
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited France to evaluate the feasibility of a semi-high-speed train between New Delhi and Chandigarh worth an estimated Rs 40,000 crore, offering Paris an entry into one of his dream projects so far dominated by Tokyo.
The French National Railway Company, the SNCF, and the Indian Railways yesterday inked a pact to co-finance a study on upgrading the route to a 200kmph track, the first train corridor India has formally committed to France.
The pact, overshadowed last night by Modi's announcement that India would purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets directly from France, represents a balancing act Delhi is attempting between multiple partners on its plans for faster trains, senior officials have told The Telegraph.
That balance is rooted in conflicting advice India has received from France and Japan on these plans, the officials said.
"For the Prime Minister, investment and strategic ties with both Japan and France are critical," an official said. "And you've got to keep all your important partners interested in deepening investments in your country."
The pact inked in Paris yesterday could help France gain too from India's rail market.
The Modi government has announced two sets of projects aimed at enhancing the speed of journeys between key cities.
The first, high-speed trains will run at 250kmph to 300kmph, and connect New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai, and smaller regional sectors like Howrah and Haldia, and Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
A second set of semi-high-speed trains will run at 160kmph to 200kmph between New Delhi and Chandigarh, New Delhi and Agra, Chennai and Bangalore and six other routes.
While Japan is keen on pursuing the high-speed proposal for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, the SNCF has independently cautioned that this could prove far too costly. A Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail route could cost up to Rs 90,000 crore, the SNCF had cautioned earlier this year, officials said.
Instead, a semi-high-speed train route between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, or between New Delhi and Chandigarh, would not cost more than Rs 40,000 crore - roughly the cost of the 36 Rafale planes Modi committed to buying yesterday.
After Rafale, Paris gets rail invite
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited France to evaluate the feasibility of a semi-high-speed train between New Delhi and Chandigarh worth an estimated Rs 40,000 crore, offering Paris an entry into one of his dream projects so far dominated by Tokyo.
The French National Railway Company, the SNCF, and the Indian Railways yesterday inked a pact to co-finance a study on upgrading the route to a 200kmph track, the first train corridor India has formally committed to France.
The pact, overshadowed last night by Modi's announcement that India would purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets directly from France, represents a balancing act Delhi is attempting between multiple partners on its plans for faster trains, senior officials have told The Telegraph.
That balance is rooted in conflicting advice India has received from France and Japan on these plans, the officials said.
"For the Prime Minister, investment and strategic ties with both Japan and France are critical," an official said. "And you've got to keep all your important partners interested in deepening investments in your country."
The pact inked in Paris yesterday could help France gain too from India's rail market.
The Modi government has announced two sets of projects aimed at enhancing the speed of journeys between key cities.
The first, high-speed trains will run at 250kmph to 300kmph, and connect New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai, and smaller regional sectors like Howrah and Haldia, and Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
A second set of semi-high-speed trains will run at 160kmph to 200kmph between New Delhi and Chandigarh, New Delhi and Agra, Chennai and Bangalore and six other routes.
While Japan is keen on pursuing the high-speed proposal for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, the SNCF has independently cautioned that this could prove far too costly. A Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail route could cost up to Rs 90,000 crore, the SNCF had cautioned earlier this year, officials said.
Instead, a semi-high-speed train route between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, or between New Delhi and Chandigarh, would not cost more than Rs 40,000 crore - roughly the cost of the 36 Rafale planes Modi committed to buying yesterday.
After Rafale, Paris gets rail invite
