GD Topic: Is It Still Too Early For India To Have Bullet Trains?

Is it still too early for India to have bullet trains? It may be a grand success eventually but at what cost? Let's discuss this topic for MBA Group Discussion.

By Aritro Dasgupta

This article was first published on July 24, 2019

Attempting any topic in a Group Discussion (GD), requires a multi-faceted approach. One needs to approach any GD with a sense of calmness, without getting too passionately involved. Current affairs topics are quite common for being posed for GDs. Whatever the topic, one needs to steer clear from controversial matters. In this series of articles, we explore certain topics which are quite likely to be asked in the GD rounds at the top MBA colleges this year. These are all based around the most important topics centred around business, economy and society. We will set a path on how to attempt these.

GD Topic: Is It Still Too Early For India To Have Bullet Trains?

One such area is the presence of bullet trains in India, and whether it is too early to introduce them. Like almost any other GD topic, this too can be answered in either For or Against motion. Let us explore each option:

For the Motion

The Bullet Train may eventually be a grand success but there are several points against it as well in present-day India explained through the following bullet points:

1. Within railways, lot more pressing concerns remain, such as safety of existing tracks, reducing accidents, cleanliness of stations and wagons, modern infrastructure, better security for women, hygienic food and the need for a more efficient online ticketing portal.
2. The circuit chosen i.e. Mumbai to Ahmedabad is already one of the best- connected ones. There was little need for more, but instead tracks could have been built in more remote or backward areas.
3. The costs to the overall economy also do not justify. While the interest rates are low, this amount needs to be repaid in US Dollars fifteen years hence. If one counts the inflation level and the periodic weakening of the India rupee versus the US Dollar, the costs will spiral up immensely.
4. The costs to the individuals will also be high, making it unviable. A lot of passengers may instead choose simply to fly. The authorities would have been better advised to improve the air line services though schemes such as UDAN (Udey desh ka Aam Nagarik). 
5. Before launching more such fancy express trains, the government needs to curate programmes to train the people of the country against unruly behaviours. The Tejas Express between Mumbai and Goa for instance received a lot of bad publicity due to passengers’ vandalizing behaviour on the train. Such behaviour must be strictly punished by the Railway Police and other such authorities, to set a strong example.
6. Beyond inter-city trains, there is a massive requirement for intra- city transport. The local train networks are in despair in many of the older, industrial cities such as in Mumbai. There is a need for modernizing these systems and expanding on the metro and mono rail networks.

Against the Motion

Besides the negative points listed above, there are also several advantages that the country may gain, as a result of implementing this. Following are some of those:

1. A single train line may lead to several other ancillary industries to emerge. A good example is the country’s first ever railways university now in Vadodara.
2. While, as of now Mumbai- Ahmedabad is the only circuit chosen, plans are afoot to eventually expand this network towards several other busy sites. Possible future routes may include Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Lucknow, Kolkata-Patna, Kolkata-Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal- Indore, Bhopal-Raipur, Patna-Jamshedpur, Mumbai-Nagpur, Mumbai-Goa, Chennai-Bengaluru and Chennai-Coimbatore.
3. A number of existing flaws listed among the points For the Motion, are undeniably there, but its unfair to say that nothing is being done. Several stations have been upgraded, with the one in Guwahati, even earning an ISO certification. As for safety for women, the Venkatadri Express in the south, now has a dedicated Train Captain.

1. All said and done, the interest rate of 0.5% is extremely low, so makes some economic sense.
2. Blaming the people in general for the untoward incidents on board some fancy trains is convenient, but hides a broader truth. The same people have shown utmost respect on several other trains, which are never covered by the media, as there is nothing unusual. Strong policing is required, but new development must not stop due to fears of backlash, after a small segment vandalizes.
3. Barring the Kolkata Metro and a few others, most of the local metro networks do not come under the Indian Railways. So, their expansion is not something the central authorities can do much about directly. The local train networks on the other hand do admittedly need more attention.

The main lesson we draw from the above points is that both viewpoints are perfectly fine, as long as the backing evidence is provided. Supporting examples need also to be drawn up. To prove one’s point, citing of data released by credible sources such as the World Bank, World Economic Forum (WEF), The Economist, Forbes, Fortune, etc. is the best way of making one’s point. Indexes and ranks released by such bodies, present a highly credible and scientific justification for the points sought. The key is not to get too emotional. One does not earn brownie points for shouting the most. Instead, one has to work on the 4 Cs of Group Discussions-Content, Collaboration, Communications and Clarity.

About the Author:

Aritro Dasgupta is a Teacher, Trainer and Content Writer. He has taught at several leading colleges and coaching institutes in both India and the UAE. Several of his students have finished in the top 10 of various national level exams such as CLAT, AILET and DUJAT. He is also a prolific content writer, having written for several leading publications in India, while currently, also working for one in the USA.

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