Indian Bullet Train: Is it good for the Indian government to really invest in the bullet trains? Is India really ready for it?

Yes - it's a difficult question but I lean towards a Yes.

I feel the Indian Government needs to focus on building new cities. It needs move more Tier-2 (Classified as Y) cities to Tier-1 (X) classification by investing and allocating adequate resources in them. The migration towards urban societies should not be just limited to Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata (& the other Tier-1/Classified as 'X' Cities). We need to start thinking more about organic growth rather than quick economic growth.

But, these developments do not have to work in sequence. The basics should run parallel with developments like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor. This rail corridor is one of the busiest routes in the country and has the potential to connect the capital in addition to Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).

As the project takes shape and the smaller cities develop between Mumbai and Ahmadabad, the migration of people towards urban environments would be distributed (hopefully, reducing the impact on already over-burdened Mumbai)

The proposed train route is through the densest cities/towns in Maharashtra and Gujarat. This will also ease the burden on the current railways. Obtaining tickets on the exisiting Shatabdi (and other trains) for frequent business travelers is often difficult in terms of seat availability. The Shinkansen-styled line would improve this situation.

As per estimates, the number of passengers using the train line is predicted to be around 200,000/day by 2050. Roughly a ten fold increase from the 2020 estimate.

This is certainly a big step in Indian Infrastructure, and definitely a good one. There are several major hurdles to implement this project. Mumbai is extremely crowded/dense, building a high speed rail line in between the city will require large-scale restructuring and other city-design initiatives. However, if they are executed swiftly and efficiently, it will be a tremendous achievement in India's bright future.

For a moment just Imagine Delhi without Metro. Do you think that Delhi's even-odd formula to curb pollution  have worked despite Metro? In fact, if there was no Delhi Metro, govt would have banned all private vehicles. We might have been asked to use cycle instead of cars or even bikes.

Though at beginning this wan't an easy ride for govt to bring subway system of west into "poor India". In 1995 then PM PVN Rao and Delhi CM ML Khurana conceived the Idea of Rapid Rail system in Delhi.  Many people then questioned govt motive and priorities. They accused govt of ignoring poor masses and working for elites. This is why project was in cold basket until PM Atal Bihari Vajpeyee decided to run it in 1998. E. Sreedharan (Metro Man)  was given responsibility.

Again many protested, questioned and raised doubt against this project. Here I've found one such "The Hindu" article (Delhi Metro: Gliding over controversies)  questioning viability of "Tube System" in India:

1. How "poor India" will afford to finance "Subway System" of "rich west"?

2. Who will provide spare parts and Technologies?

3. Why should we focus on "Quality of Service"?

You know eventually Delhi Metro have answered all such Questions. Now a days we don't see such questions instead people are demanding more Metro Coaches and more no of Lines for city.

But think what if then PM ABV had not seen the future and kept it in cold. What if E. Sreedharan compromised on QoS? Fate of Delhi metro would have same as Kolkata Metro.

Currently we have Rapid Transit system in  other cities too like Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Lucknow and Jaipur (Sorry, If I missed any.). In fact every city with population of 2 million and more planning to have it's own metro service.

Here is some of the few details about project which can answer some doubts on Bullet Trains.

1. Who will fund this project?

Obviously GoI but Japan Has extended Loan of 1 lakh Crore to be paid at 0.1% Interest rate over the period of 50 years.  So on yearly basis govt have to pay 2000cr+ 2 crore as interest. Can we afford this amount? Yes, we can.

(Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train estimated project cost Rs 98,000 crore   | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis )

2. Who will provide technology and is India ready to handle High Speed trains?

Japanese govt will provide all technologies related to this project. it will be based on Shinkansen  which is known for it's reliability and safety. Project will take minimum 15 years.

On the issue of handling, remember we have reached to the mars, this should be a least technical concern.

3. Who will buy tickets?

We will. If price estimation is true then we have to pay only Rs. 2800 for one way trip from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. It's much cheaper than Flight service and slightly costlier than AC-II coaches. Also flights can only carry 100 people at one trip while Bullet trains in Japan carries 1500 people.

Remember a true leader is who Learn from Past, Work for Present and Think about future.

*Source: https://www.quora.com

Future Technologies - Hydroponics

This is the science of growing plants in water and liquid fertilizer in a greenhouse instead of a farm's field. This method could produce better fruits and vegetables, and it's been around a long time since World War II. The only thing that's prevented its adoption has been the high cost of energy. 

New technology, some of it interestingly enough developed by illegal marijuana growers, is making it viable again. One advantage such operations have would be lower transportation costs; food could be grown in warehouses and other buildings in large cities and provide vegetables all year long. Another advantage is that hydroponics does not require pesticides or herbicides, so it uses fewer chemicals and is healthier. There is no risk of cancer or other side effects caused by pesticides because none of them are used. It could also be used to grow large amounts of food in areas where extra land is not available or cropland has been exhausted by over farming. If energy costs are kept down, it would be competitive with food shipped over long distances. 

Hydroponics is already being tested in the U.S. A company called Gotham Greens is pioneering hydroponics in New York City with a large scale greenhouse in an old bowling alley in Brooklyn. It produces organic lettuce and basil for sale to the city's restaurants. If energy costs can be kept down, this could be the agriculture of the future. One technology that could do that is cold fusion. If crops can be grown 12 months a year in a climate controlled greenhouse, how will traditional farms compete?

Emerging Technologies - MAGLEV

A magnetic levitation, or Maglev train, uses magnetism to literally levitate right above a track. This enables the train to move across the ground at speeds of over 300 miles per hour using minimal energy and few moving parts. 

That means it provides high speed ground travel at little or no cost. A person using one would be able to travel from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in about an hour. The Transrapid combine from Germany has perfected maglev and built a 19-mile long maglev that carries commuters between Pudong International Airport and the Chinese City of Shanghai. A 10-mile long Maglev commuter line is under construction in Beijing. The Japanese government has given preliminary approval for the Chuo Shinkansen, the world's first Maglev bullet train, which would travel between Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya at speeds of 505 kilometers (313 miles) an hour. Current plans call for service to begin in 2027. Several other maglev lines are planned around the world, including some in the U.S. 

The effects of Maglev travel could be as disruptive as earlier transportation advances like cars. Maglev could allow a person to live in Altoona, Penn., or Rochester, N.Y. and commute to a job in Manhattan every day. It could also greatly reduce the cost of shipping and travel. The only thing blocking this technology would be the high cost of building Maglev lines. Several Maglev projects have been proposed in Germany, but cancelled due to costs. Successful lines in Japan and elsewhere could change that.

Developing Technologies - 3-D Printing

This could potentially be the most disruptive technology introduced since the personal computer. A 3-D printer is literally a factory in a box; a person puts in raw material, pushes a button, and the box makes an object. 

Today's 3-D printers make plastic models or metal parts for machines. They're called printers because they make three dimensional objects the way printers put images on paper. In the future, when you go to the garage, instead of ordering parts, the mechanic could look them up online, then download the designs into a 3-D printer that could make them. Huge numbers of inventors and engineers all over the world are working on 3-D printers. There are plans for printers that make food, clothing, chemicals, and drugs. A pharmacist using a drug printer could manufacture your prescription while you wait. A company named Contour Crafting even has plans to make buildings with 3-D printed components. If 3-D printing works out, the changes it brings could be vast. Instead of factories in China making our clothes and a vast transportation structure, there could be a machine in a shop at the mall that makes clothing. 

There's also a dark side to this; for example, how will gun control laws be enforced if anybody can download the plans to an AK-47 and make one using a printer?

As with every technology, this one will become a boon or a bane, only time will tell.