Japanese trading house Sojitz has made a significant advance in the Indian infrastructure sector by securing an order for the electrification of a high-speed rail project. This ambitious project, set to connect Mumbai with Ahmedabad, spans a total of 508 kilometers. Sojitz announced this major development on Tuesday, indicating a strategic partnership with Indian contracting giant Larsen & Toubro for this venture.
While the contract’s value remains undisclosed, it is estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of yen, signaling the project’s scale and significance. The electrification work is comprehensive, encompassing rail lines, stations, power distribution systems, and overhead equipment.
Larsen & Toubro will handle the design and construction work in India, with Sojitz overseeing overall coordination and the procurement of electrification equipment from Japanese manufacturers. This collaboration builds on their previous joint effort, having secured an order in 2022 from India’s National High Speed Rail Corp. for constructing a rail car depot on the same line.
The high-speed rail corridor promises to drastically reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, cutting it down to approximately two hours from the current seven. This project is a part of Sojitz’s broader strategy to expand its operations in India, recognizing the country’s robust demand for infrastructure amid a growing population. This contract follows Sojitz’s previous success in winning an order for track laying and signal installation on a dedicated freight line connecting Delhi and Mumbai. This series of projects underscores Sojitz’s commitment to and growing influence in India’s rapidly developing infrastructure landscape.
