NID student’s logo, cheetah on an engine, is top pick for bullet train

The logo for the bullet train was selected from a contest by a three-member screening committee headed by renowned painter and architect Satish Gujral, said a senior Railways official.

Logo selected by panel headed by Satish Gujral

A logo designed by a student of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, incorporating the outline of a cheetah on a locomotive engine, has emerged as the top choice for the ambitious bullet train project, sources in the Railways told The Indian Express. The logo was selected from a contest by a three-member screening committee headed by renowned painter and architect Satish Gujral, said a senior Railways official.

“The contest received an overwhelming response from across the country. The dates for submitting the applications were between April 19 and May 18, and around 100 entries were received by the committee from various states,” the official said. “The cheetah represents speed, while the red and blue lines symbolise calm and reliability,” sources said.

The official said that apart from Gujral, the screening committee included a Niti Aayog member and an official from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is in charge of the project. “Three entries were shortlisted after initial screening. The top entry was selected from NID, Ahmedabad, the second from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, and the third from the NID in Bengaluru,” said the official.

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The government is keen to make the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail network operational on August 15, 2022, to mark India’s 75th year of Independence. The train is expected to cover a distance of over 500 km between the two cities in less than three hours, with a ticket to cost around 1.2 per cent more than the basic AC first class fare, sources said.

The project was launched last month by Prime Minister Modi in the presence of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad. Japan is financing 81 per cent of the Rs 1.08 lakh crore project through the Japan International Cooperation Agency at 0.1 per cent interest to be repaid over 50 years.

Mahender Singh Manral

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

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