This image shows bullet train maintenance centre in China, not Gujarat
An image of halted bullet trains is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows bullet trains in Gujarat. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of halted bullet trains in Gujarat.
Fact: The image shows bullet trains halted at China’s Wuhan. According to New China TV, Wuhan bullet train maintenance centre is the largest of its kind in central China. It covers an area of 1.4 million square metres. More than 100 bullet trains can be parked here at the same time. Moreover, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the first phase of India’s bullet train project is likely to be operational by 2026. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We ran a reverse image search using the viral image and came across a tweet made by a user “Carl Zha” on 28 August 2018 sharing the same image. However, the tweet says, “Bullet trains. Wuhan, China”
Taking a cue from this, we searched about this facility in Wuhan and found a YouTube video with the title “Stunning aerial view of bullet train maintenance centre in Wuhan, China”. This video is uploaded on ‘New China TV’ YouTube channel on 20 January 2019. Other videos of this maintenance centre can be seen here and here.
According to New China TV, Wuhan bullet train maintenance centre is the largest of its kind in central China. It covers an area of 1.4 million square metres. More than 100 bullet trains can be parked here at the same time. Stock images of this maintenance centre can be seen here and here
The status of India’s first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is shared by Ministry of Railways on 16 August 2022. According to Business Standard, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the first phase of this project is likely to be operational by 2026.
To sum it up, visuals of bullet trains at a maintenance centre in China are falsely linked to India’s Gujarat.