UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Redefining Inter-City Mobility: High-Speed Rail Corridors in India
Q1. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has been structured as a Special Purpose Vehicle in the joint sector. Equity in this SPV is held by how many governments?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q2. In the context of NHSRCL, the description of the corporation as a 'Special Purpose Vehicle' (SPV) most precisely means that it is:
- A. A statutory body created directly by an Act of Parliament to regulate high-speed rail
- B. A company incorporated to finance, construct, maintain and manage a specific defined project, with equity shared among designated government partners
- C. A wholly foreign-owned entity set up to transfer Japanese rail technology to India
- D. An autonomous constitutional authority under the Ministry of Railways with independent taxation powers
Q3. With reference to the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, consider the following statements:
1. Its design speed is higher than its planned operational speed.
2. It deploys J-Slab ballastless track for the first time in India, unlike the ballasted track used on conventional Indian railway lines.
3. Its alignment passes through two States and one Union Territory.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Its design speed is higher than its planned operational speed.
- It deploys J-Slab ballastless track for the first time in India, unlike the ballasted track used on conventional Indian railway lines.
- Its alignment passes through two States and one Union Territory.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. Which one of the following entities is the implementing agency executing the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project?
- A. Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL)
- B. Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL)
- C. National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL)
- D. IRCON International Ltd
Q5. With reference to Japanese cooperation in the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, consider the following statements:
1. Japan, through JICA, funds a larger share of the project cost than the Indian side contributes.
2. The JICA loan carries a concessional interest rate of 0.1% with a repayment period of 50 years.
3. The E10 Shinkansen trains are to be introduced in India only after several years of prior commercial service in Japan.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Japan, through JICA, funds a larger share of the project cost than the Indian side contributes.
- The JICA loan carries a concessional interest rate of 0.1% with a repayment period of 50 years.
- The E10 Shinkansen trains are to be introduced in India only after several years of prior commercial service in Japan.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q6. Under the India–Japan financing arrangement for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, JICA's soft loan covers approximately what share of the total project cost?
Q7. The seven new high-speed rail corridors and the record capital outlay announced in the Union Budget 2026-27 fall under the operational purview of which one of the following?
- A. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- B. Ministry of Railways
- C. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- D. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Q8. On the MAHSR alignment, the term 'undersea tunnel' (the 7 km stretch that is described as India's first of its kind) is best defined as:
- A. A rail tunnel bored beneath the bed of Thane Creek
- B. An elevated tube laid on a bridge spanning across the sea surface
- C. A submerged floating tube anchored on the seabed
- D. A cut-and-cover trench built along the coastline above the tide line
Q9. With reference to the 21 km tunnel on the MAHSR route, consider the following statements:
1. It runs between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata.
2. It includes a 7 km undersea section beneath Thane Creek.
3. The entire 21 km length is being excavated using Tunnel Boring Machines.
4. It accommodates both tracks within a single tunnel tube.
Which of the above statements is/are NOT correct?
- It runs between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata.
- It includes a 7 km undersea section beneath Thane Creek.
- The entire 21 km length is being excavated using Tunnel Boring Machines.
- It accommodates both tracks within a single tunnel tube.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1 and 4
- D. 3 only
Q10. Consider the following statements distinguishing high-speed rail from other Indian rail services:
1. High-speed rail is generally defined as systems operating above 250 km/h, whereas Vande Bharat is classified as a semi-high-speed service.
2. Vande Bharat's design speed of 180 km/h is higher than the design speed of the MAHSR.
3. Unlike conventional ballasted track, the MAHSR uses J-Slab ballastless track.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- High-speed rail is generally defined as systems operating above 250 km/h, whereas Vande Bharat is classified as a semi-high-speed service.
- Vande Bharat's design speed of 180 km/h is higher than the design speed of the MAHSR.
- Unlike conventional ballasted track, the MAHSR uses J-Slab ballastless track.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q11. Consider the following high-speed rail corridors announced in the Union Budget 2026-27 and the pair of States they are said to connect:
1. Hyderabad–Bengaluru : Telangana and Karnataka
2. Pune–Hyderabad : Maharashtra and Telangana
3. Chennai–Bengaluru : Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
4. Varanasi–Siliguri : Uttar Pradesh and Odisha
Which of the above pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Hyderabad–Bengaluru : Telangana and Karnataka
- Pune–Hyderabad : Maharashtra and Telangana
- Chennai–Bengaluru : Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
- Varanasi–Siliguri : Uttar Pradesh and Odisha
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 1 and 4
- D. 4 only