India begins bumpy ride on Japanese train

Editor's note: On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe inaugurated India's first bullet train project, a $19 billion railway linking the western city of Ahmedabad and the country's financial hub of Mumbai. The joint venture is scheduled for completion by 2023. Four experts share their views on the "Indian Shinkansen" with China Daily's Cui Shoufeng. Excerpts:

Beijing, Tokyo are both New Delhi's partners

Japan's Shinkansen network has a global reputation for speed as well as safety. The Modi government has good reasons to base India's first high-speed train project on the Shinkansen network. Japan's favorable soft loan is also a boon. But India is not limiting its railway cooperation to Japan. It also has similar projects with China, from intercity trains to subways.