Are bullet trains capable of transforming the economy or merely a Tughlaq-like dream?

PM Modi and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe today signed several agreements apart from laying the foundation stone of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

Japan agreed to cooperate with India on several issues, including zero tolerance on terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

"The bullet train project will bring both rozgaar (employment) and raftaar (speed) to India", Modi was quoted as saying.

Shinzo Abe said, "If we add Japan's Ja and India's I, together they may JAI which means victory. We will try to fulfill the motto of Jai Japan Jai India."

The project is expected to be completed by August 15, 2022.

Meanwhile, while the Shiv Sena has called the move politically motivated with an eye on the upcoming Gujarat election, the Congress has slammed the development, criticising the government for not heeding more pressing concerns like stopping rail mishaps first, which have gone up of late.

The big questions we are asking on News Today are:

Is bullet train an idea whose time has come?

Can bullet trains transform the economy?

Are bullet trains worth the cost or a Tughlaq-like dream?

Will the project suffer cost overruns in case of delays?

Is the money better spent on social sectors?

Is Congress opposing bullet train for the sake of opposing it?

Can transformational changes happen without thinking big?