India is Building a Bullet Train that Runs Underwater

India is starting development on its first bullet train which will link the city of Mumbai to Ahmedabad, and sections of it will run completely underwater. This will be the first high-speed train in the country, and passengers will be able to get the thrill of riding under the water for what is possibly the first time on a bullet train in their lives. The track is estimated to stretch 508 km, and there will be a 21 km stretch of the rail line that will run completely under water.

The trip between the two cities will now take only 2 hours with the train traveling at an operating speed of 320 kph. This is a major improvement over the current trip length, which on normal railways takes 7 hours. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited the country in December, is planning on fronting US 12 billion dollars towards India’s major infrastructure project.

Loans from Japan are what are making this project possible, and even if the costs escalate due to drawbacks, Japan plans on keeping the money flowing with only a .1 percent interest rate over 50 years. The loan terms have not been finalized, but by the end of the year it is expected that the project will begin to take shape with construction starting in 2018, according to India Today. This kind of transportation isn’t new for the rest of the world, but it will be a first in the country of over 1.2 billion people.

This new rail line could completely reshape the transportation dynamic across the country, making business trips shorter, changing how the country’s population is spread out. So what do you think? Would you take a trip on a bullet train that stretches 21 km under the water? Let us know in the comments.