Very soon, India will have its first bullet train, the Mumbai to Ahmedabad, high speed rail, which promises to redraw the very idea of travel. For a nation used to long railway journeys, crowded platforms, unpredictable delays and the romance of slow movement, the notion of covering 500 kilometers in about two hours feels revolutionary. India’s bullet train, apart from cutting travel time will disrupt long held habits. Imagine leaving Mumbai after breakfast and reaching Ahmadabad in time for brunch! Imagine ditching airport security queues, imagine getting to visit home more often, the journey no more a hurdle. Conversations go far beyond engineering milestones: will high speed rail change how Indians think about distance? Will it replace short haul flights? These questions confronted me on a recent trip to Laos, where a similar debate plays out between flying and taking the new Laos China high speed train.
But speed alone does not define travel. How would the journey experience be, compared to short haul flights? I found myself caught in a miniature version of India’s future bullet train travel dilemma, choosing between flying and the fast train, when from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, I needed to reach Luang Prabang a riverside town 300 kilometers away. The flight takes 45 minutes, the high speed Laos- China Railway train takes two hours. Should I save time or savor the journey?
I flew on the onward direction, leaving the train for the return journey. Anyone who has done domestic flying in India on a busy morning will understand what comes next. The airport queues at Vientiane were long, the security check suspiciously slow, the shuffle, the scanning trays, the process cheerless, a gentler version of what we often endure in India.
The flight itself was beautiful. Laos spread below like a tapestry of green, rivers gleaming, similar to the window views when doing the Goa -Mumbai route. Yet, like in India, the real challenge began after landing, hunting for the assigned cab driver, pushing through crowds and deciphering signs. Short flight, long hassle, an equation every Indian traveler knows too well.
The return journey by high speed train was a lesson prospective bullet train travellers must pay attention to. The Vientiane station was spotless, efficient and futuristic, similar to the Mumbai and Ahmedabad’s upcoming bullet-train station mock-ups. Security was brisk but not stifling, tickets were scanned, bags screened and within minutes I was seated in a carriage that was humming like an expensive refrigerator.
Once on board, the comparison sharpened. The train glided out, slipping past villages, rice fields and hills framed by a window that felt like a moving cinema screen. No turbulence. No “flight delayed due to operational reasons.” No herding of passengers. Isn’t this what the Indian bullet train too promises? The speed of flying without the irritations of flying!
Laos also showed what high-speed rail does to people. They chatted freely, shared snacks, played music softly, exchanged smiles, the train, invited community. An aircraft, in contrast, cages you politely and demands silence. Of course, the high speed trains had quirks. The announcements were garbled, the snack bar disappointing, the Wi-Fi sporadic. India will likely have its own version: loud arguments about seat numbers, families unpacking parathas, businessmen loudly taking calls, the very noises and smells that make Indian travel Indian.
When I talked to my co-passengers on the Lao China train, every one of them preferred the train. It’s cheaper, steadier and never cancels because of fog or fuel. For most Laotians the train was their everyday pride, a symbol of modern Laos that doesn’t need a boarding pass to prove its worth. Cheaper, steadier, with less uncertainty, why arrive two hours early for a 45 minute flight when a train can deliver you from city center to city center with far less trauma?
I found the flight offered speed but no soul. The train gave me stories, the tunnels, the waving children, the light turning gold across faraway hills, the gentle rocking movement, the metal rattle, the glimpses of life merrily lived along the tracks. I got the feeling that I was watching a country breathe. The two hour train journey felt shorter, the memories longer.
As India steps into the bullet train era, the gains will be reliability, precision, the confidence of modern infrastructure. But my Laos experience reminded me, that travel is not only about saving minutes, but also collecting moments. The Mumbai – Ahmedabad bullet train will shrink the map, yes. But by expanding the experience, offering comfort, beauty and a sense of shared journey, India’s first high speed rail promises to be not only a technological milestone, but a sentimental one.
(Priyan R Naik is a columnist and independent journalist based in Bengaluru)
