The Indian Railways is all set to start working on reducing the travel time between Delhi and Howrah and Delhi and Mumbai to just 12 hours by increasing the speed of its trains to a maximum of 160 kmph. While the cabinet nod for the project was given two years ago, the groundwork is being kicked off now. Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah are among the busiest routes of the Indian Railways.
While the Delhi-Mumbai train route is 1380 km long, the distance between Delhi and Howrah is lengthier at 1490 km. The most important aspect of making the 160 kmph speed a reality is fencing on the entire route. Railways will fence both sides of the track for the entire stretch of Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes. This is being done to ensure no crosses the tracks while the train runs at 160 kmph.
Railways has chosen the Gaya-Dehri-Gomoh route on the Delhi-Howrah rail line to run the semi high-speed train.
The existing tracks will be replaced with better, heavier ones to sustain the speeding trains. Besides, level crossings will also be eliminated to make the route accident-free. The electric cables above the train, also known as overhead equipment (OHE), will also be changed during the redevelopment of the tracks.
For both the routes, Railways will also introduce Train Protection Warning System (TPWS), which is required for high-speed or semi high-speed trains. Modern automatic machines will be deployed for inspecting and repair work, while cameras will also be installed for monitoring purposes. The national transporter is also expected to use radio frequency for signalling and telecom related work.
Railways will spend Rs 5,500 crore for civic work, while Rs 5,300 crore will be spent on the electric infrastructure. Rs 2000 crore have been allocated for signalling and telecom work, and Rs 625 crore for mechanical work.
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