India’s historic high-speed rail project, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, has taken a major step forward in human capital development. Fifteen carefully selected Indian railway professionals are undergoing specialised training in Japan to prepare them as the first generation of Shinkansen pilots for the new bullet train service, which will operate at speeds of up to 320 km/h.
Selection and Background of Trainees
The training cohort consists of fifteen mid-career professionals chosen for their operational experience within Indian rail systems. Trainees like Vishal have prior experience in metro operations, giving them a solid foundation before entering the rigorous Japanese training environment. This collaborative effort, supported by agencies including JICA and JR East, is designed not just to teach technical skills but also to instil Japan’s world-renowned rail safety and precision culture.
Mastering Precision and Safety Culture
A hallmark of the Shinkansen training is the adoption of practices such as “point-and-call”, a disciplined method where drivers physically point at instruments and call out statuses to reinforce safety. Trainees also practice navigating real routes like the Joetsu Shinkansen, where close station spacing requires frequent acceleration, braking and stopping with meticulous accuracy. Even deviations of a single kilometre per hour or a few seconds at stop points are rigorously analysed and corrected.
Simulator Drills and Emergency Preparedness
Beyond real-world driving, trainees spend extensive hours in advanced simulators designed to emulate critical emergency scenarios — from power failures at high speed to maintaining passenger comfort under adverse conditions. These simulated exercises ensure pilots are prepared for challenges that cannot be practiced with live passengers, reinforcing both safety and service excellence.
Reaching Operational Speed and Final Assessment
As their training nears completion, the pilots will undertake final assessments at maximum operational speeds of 320 km/h on the Tohoku Shinkansen line — the same speeds expected on India’s Mumbai–Ahmedabad route. This final phase verifies that trainees can apply both technical mastery and the disciplined safety mindset that characterises Shinkansen operations.
Beyond Technique: Culture Transfer
For trainees, the mission extends beyond mastering controls. Their training embodies a broader cultural shift towards the precision, punctuality and safety that define Japan’s Shinkansen network. When these pilots return to India, they will not only operate trains but also help cultivate a new operational ethos as India prepares for world-class high-speed rail service.
