UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail: Advancing India's Rail Modernisation

Q1. With reference to the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, which one of the following is the Ahmedabad-end terminal (northern terminus) station of the corridor?

  • A. Ahmedabad
  • B. Sabarmati
  • C. Vadodara
  • D. Surat

Q2. Consider the following places said to be stations on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor: 1. Boisar 2. Bilimora 3. Nashik 4. Anand Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a station on the MAHSR corridor?

  1. Boisar
  2. Bilimora
  3. Nashik
  4. Anand
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q3. With reference to the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. NHSRCL was incorporated in February 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013.
  2. The equity shareholding of the Ministry of Railways, the Government of Gujarat and the Government of Maharashtra in NHSRCL is in the ratio of 50:25:25.
  3. NHSRCL was incorporated in February 2013, immediately after the India–Japan joint feasibility study on high-speed rail.
  4. NHSRCL functions as a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Railways and is the implementing agency for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q4. With reference to the institutional structure of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. NHSRCL is a Special Purpose Vehicle with equity participation only from the Central Government, with no State Government holding any equity in it.
  2. NHSRCL is structured as a joint-sector Special Purpose Vehicle with equity participation by the Ministry of Railways and the State Governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
  3. NHSRCL was incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013.
  4. NHSRCL is the implementing agency for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2, 3 and 4

Q5. What is the repayment tenure (in years) of the Japanese ODA (JICA) soft loan extended for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project?

  • A. 30 years
  • B. 40 years
  • C. 50 years
  • D. 60 years

Q6. Which of the following agencies is the executing agency responsible for implementing the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project financed by the JICA ODA loan?

  • A. Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL)
  • B. National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL)
  • C. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)
  • D. IRCON International Limited

Q7. The decision that the next-generation E10 series Shinkansen will be inducted on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor simultaneously with its Japanese debut was formally announced in the Joint Statement of which one of the following?

  • A. 15th India–Japan Annual Summit, Tokyo (August 2025)
  • B. 14th India–Japan Annual Summit, New Delhi (March 2023)
  • C. India–Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue, Tokyo (2024)
  • D. Quad Leaders' Summit, Wilmington (September 2024)

Q8. With reference to the E10 series Shinkansen, which one of the following statements is correct?

  • A. India will be the first country outside Japan to operate the E10 series Shinkansen, with simultaneous induction planned on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor.
  • B. Taiwan will be the first country outside Japan to operate the E10 series, having already inducted earlier Shinkansen variants on its high-speed line.
  • C. The United Kingdom will be the first country outside Japan to operate the E10 series, through the HS2 high-speed line.
  • D. The United States (Texas Central HSR) will be the first country outside Japan to operate the E10 series.

Q9. Out of the 21 km long underground/undersea tunnel being constructed between Bandra-Kurla Complex and Shilphata for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, how many kilometres are being executed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM)?

  • A. 4.8 km
  • B. 5 km
  • C. 7 km
  • D. 16 km

Q10. Which one of the following bilateral instruments first elevated India-Japan relations to the 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership', which later provided the diplomatic framework for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project?

  • A. Tokyo Declaration of 2014
  • B. Delhi Declaration of 2015
  • C. Japan-India Vision 2025 Statement
  • D. Hiroshima Accord of 2016

Q11. With reference to the diplomatic timeline of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, consider the following statements: 1. The Memorandum of Cooperation on High-Speed Railways, which decided adoption of the Shinkansen system, was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo in December 2015. 2. The foundation stone for the MAHSR project was jointly laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Ahmedabad in September 2017. 3. The India-Japan relationship was elevated to the 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' through the Tokyo Declaration of 2014, preceding the signing of the Shinkansen Memorandum of Cooperation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Memorandum of Cooperation on High-Speed Railways, which decided adoption of the Shinkansen system, was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo in December 2015.
  2. The foundation stone for the MAHSR project was jointly laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Ahmedabad in September 2017.
  3. The India-Japan relationship was elevated to the 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' through the Tokyo Declaration of 2014, preceding the signing of the Shinkansen Memorandum of Cooperation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. Which of the following are correctly identified as rail systems that meet the International Union of Railways (UIC) speed threshold for 'high-speed rail' on newly built lines?

  1. Japan's Shinkansen E5 series
  2. India's Vande Bharat Express
  3. France's Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV)
  4. India's Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4