NEW DELHI/SURAT, India -- The Indian city of Surat is known for its diamond industry, where gems are cut and polished on their way to the international jewelry market. If all goes according to plan, Surat will also soon be known as a midway point on India's first bullet train line.
Around the clock, hundreds of workers are toiling in the city in the western state of Gujarat. Their mission is to ensure that construction is completed before the project -- based on Japan's shinkansen and built with Japanese assistance -- is due for its first trial run, which the Indian side expects in 2026.
