India: The order has been officially confirmed by India’s Ministry of Railways. The ministry noted that trains of this series will be introduced concurrently in both Japan and India.
It was previously announced that the next-generation E10 trains by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries would be launched on Japan’s Tohoku line in 2030. Their prototype is the previously tested the experimental train ALFA-X.
Initially, India considered procuring E5 series trains, operating in Japan since 2011. The tender for the supply of 24 trains, designed for an operational speed of 320 km/h for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor, was announced in summer 2023.
Amid delays in the tender procedure, India began development of its own train with a design speed of 250 km/h based on the national Vande Bharat platform. A contract was subsequently signed under which the local manufacturer BEML must supply two eight-car prototypes by the end of 2026.
