‘We struggle to…’: Viral post highlights China links cities at 300 kmph, while India debates its first bullet train route

In 1969, India proudly launched its first Rajdhani Express, becoming only the second country in Asia after Japan to run trains over 100 kmph. More than five decades later, the gap in rail infrastructure between India and China tells a very different story.

While China has raced ahead with a sprawling high-speed rail network built at breakneck speed, India is still laying the foundation for its first true high-speed corridor. The contrast underscores deeper differences in how the two nations plan, prioritize, and execute development in the context of their political and societal structures.

Highlighting this stark contrast, Ananth Rupanagudi, Financial Advisor to ICF, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) remarked, “It’s equally crazy to believe that when we first ran the Rajdhani in 1969, we were the second country in Asia after Japan to run trains over 100 kmph. 55 years on, China has built over 45,000 high-speed rail lines while we struggle to develop the first HSR line.”

The post struck a chord online, drawing nods of agreement.

“India is decades behind China and comparing the pace of our infrastructure execution is a wasted exercise,” wrote one user.

Another added, “One reason is unstable governments and their priority was never ease of transport. Atleast till 2014 they were only introducing new stops and additional trains or renaming express names. Even the DFC was not complete. Konkan railway is built only after NDA came.”

Touching on the complexity of India’s social fabric, a user observed, “China has to deal and work with The Chinese People. India has to deal and work with People of different states, Castes, creeds and so on and on and on.”

Some shared bleak outlooks on the country’s infrastructure ambitions. “The harsh truth is… we will never be able to build such a long high-speed rail network… 45,000 km high-speed rail network is just close to impossible… it can’t be built in 100 years from now… Period!” one wrote.

Another reflected on the nation’s backward gaze: “The thing is India is stuck in the past. We talk only about past. We don’t do anything new to change according to the time. That’s why we just keep repeating about past and feel good about that.”

China, now the world’s most populous country, also leads in rail innovation. Its high-speed rail network spans no fewer than 37,900 kilometers (about 23,500 miles), all built since 2008. Half of that has come online in just the past five years. Another 3,700 kilometers was slated to open in 2021, with plans to stretch the network to 70,000 kilometers by 2035.

By 2020, 75% of Chinese cities with populations over 500,000 had a high-speed rail link — an achievement that highlights the sheer scale and speed of China’s infrastructure game.