Hyderabad, July 17 -- Hideki Makihara, Japan's former Justice Minister has claimed that the minister in charge of the bullet train project was "especially awful," adding that the Indian delegation pushed "their own self-interest right up to the very end."

Makihara claims to have been involved in the project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR), which aimed to bring Japanese Shinkansen technology to the country. The 508-kilometre corridor is targeted for a phased launch, with the initial sections slated to open by August 15, 2027. The trains will reportedly operate at speeds up to 320 kilometres per hour, reducing travel time between the two financial hubs from over 6 hours to just about 2 hours.

However, the Japanese side had s...