a recent update, Japan has announced to donate two Shinkansen train sets – the E5 and E3 series – to India. The news was first in The Japan Times and since then has been gaining attention for all the right reasons.

This donation is intended to assist in the testing and inspection of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor, which is currently under construction.

The trains are expected to arrive in early 2026. Soon after being equipped with necessary inspection tools and will play an important role in gathering operational data, particularly in relation to the environmental challenges India faces, such as extreme temperatures and dust.