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Why China's Seizure of Three Tunnel Boring Machines Has India’s Bullet Train Project Stuck in Neutral

June 24, IndiaNet – India’s first high-speed rail line, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, has hit yet another roadblock. Three massive tunnel-boring machines (TBMs), ordered from Germany’s Herrenknecht AG but manufactured in Guangzhou, China, have been stuck in Chinese customs for eight months. The delay has frozen progress on a critical 12-kilometer undersea tunnel, marking the project’s ninth major setback.

The Stuck Machines

The TBMs were supposed to arrive in India by October 2024. Instead, they sit in a bonded warehouse in Guangzhou, with no clear timeline for release. India’s National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) blames Beijing for “deliberate obstruction,” while Chinese authorities remain silent.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor—India’s first bullet train, modeled on Japan’s Shinkansen—was supposed to slash travel time between the two cities from 7 hours to 2. Funded largely by a ¥1.25 trillion ($15 billion) Japanese loan at 0.1% interest over 50 years, the project was slated for completion in 2023. Now, in 2025, the tunnel section is barely moving.

Geopolitics or Paperwork?

Indian media quickly linked the delay to the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, framing it as Chinese retaliation. But the reality is murkier:
  • The TBMs are contractually owned by India, not China.
  • Herrenknecht’s Guangzhou plant produced them under a standard export license, not a Chinese state deal.
  • Unconfirmed reports suggest the holdup stems from missing export paperwork or payment disputes—details India hasn’t clarified.
Some analysts speculate China may be wary after past incidents where Indian infrastructure projects allegedly repurposed Chinese machinery for military use near the disputed border. Beijing’s stricter controls on dual-use tech exports could explain the delay.

India’s Own Chaos

The project’s problems run deeper than customs:
  • Land acquisition delays: Farmers along the 508-km route have resisted sales, with lawsuits dragging on for years.
  • Cost overruns: By 2022, the project was 30% complete but 20% over budget.
  • Construction mishaps: A tunnel collapse in early 2024 added three more months to the timeline.
  • Local resistance: Environmental groups and villagers protest ecological damage and inadequate compensation.
Even if the TBMs arrive, India’s inexperienced crews and coordination issues could stall progress. Japan’s technical teams, overseeing the project, have reportedly clashed with Indian officials over autonomy and pace.

What’s Next?

India is now scrambling for alternatives:
  • Borrowing TBMs from Japan (costly and logistically complex).
  • Seeking new suppliers (unlikely to match Herrenknecht’s specs in time).
  • Renegotiating contracts with Beijing (a politically fraught move).
The undersea tunnel, once targeted for 2026, will likely slip to 2027 at best. With 70% of the budget already spent, India’s government faces mounting pressure to deliver—but public skepticism is rising. Many Indians doubt the bullet train’s affordability or safety, given the country’s history of rail accidents.

Bottom Line

The TBM standoff is a microcosm of India’s bullet train saga: a project bogged down by geopolitical tensions, bureaucratic red tape, and domestic dysfunction. While China’s export controls may play a role, India’s own mismanagement—from land disputes to construction failures—has been the bigger drag.
For now, the machines stay in Guangzhou, the tunnel stays unfinished, and India’s bullet train dream remains stuck in neutral.

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