in 2016, while the line to Poipet was only rehabilitated in 2018, which reconnected to the Thai rail network across the border in 2019. The country's prime minister has assigned the Minister of Public Works and Transport with the task of finding an international development partner. India The Ministry of Railways under Government of India has proposed to build about route length tracks of High Speed Rail lines across eight corridors, with average operating speeds of . Four more corridors are currently under consideration to be proposed under the National Rail Plan 2022, which will increase the number to 12 corridors, bringing the total length to 8,110 km (5,039 mi). Formation of National High Speed Rail Authority (NHSRA), a body that will look after the implementation on High Speed Rail in India had been announced in Rail budget of 2012–2013, although no firm date has been set for construction initiation or completion. Central Japan Railway Company has promoted the Shinkansen for India, while France has also shown interest in collaboration for long-term development of the Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. Spain's Talgo has also expressed interest in the projects, and plans to open an office in India to promote its technology. In collaboration with Japan, India is building its first high-speed railway, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor, on a long route between Mumbai and the western city of Ahmedabad. On 12 December 2015, India and Japan signed a deal for a US$15 billion deal to build a high-speed line between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Japan will provide a very low interest loan of US$12 billion. This deal was part of a greater Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) involving transfer of defense technology and civil nuclear cooperation among others. Pre-construction preparatory work began in the third quarter of 2017, and was expected to be completed in December 2023. However, due to slow land acquisition in Maharashtra and due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which caused lack of labor and resulted in delays in work, the expected date of completion for the corridor's portion from Surat to Bilimora in Gujarat is now delayed to 2026, while the entire corridor will be completed by October 2028. The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) plans to operate the E5 Series Shinkansen trains at speeds up to . It is expected to cost about , of which 81% is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The Government of Kerala