High-speed rail in India

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India has one of the largest rail networks in the world. As of 2011, India does not have any high-speed rail lines capable of supporting speeds of 200 km/h (124 mph) or more, and none is under construction or subject to definite plans, only of longer-term proposals. Fast express trains such as the Shatabdi and Duronto are often referred to as "high-speed" trains by government officials and Indian media, and trains with speed of 250 to 350 km/h (155 to 217 mph) are often referred to as "bullet-trains". However, periodically interest is expressed by the Government and media in introducing high-speed rail in India.

[edit]Current

effort to increase speed to 160-200 km/h

Indian Railways' current effort to provide fast non-stop train services under the brand of Duronto continues in the decade of 2010-19. In addition, they aim at raising the speed of passenger trains to 200-250 km/h on dedicated conventional tracks. Train journey between Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Calcutta will become an overnight service compared with the present 15-16 hours.[1] Approach to high-speed Indian Railways' approach to high-speed is incremental improvement on existing conventional lines for up to 200 km/h, with a forward vision of speed above 250 km/h on new tracks with state-of-the-art technology, such as Shinkansen/TGV/etc.[1] While they do not define high-speed, Indian Railways' approach matches the highspeed definitions of the Trans-European high-speed rail network, for upgraded lines and new lines built for high-speed. Dedicate tracks to passenger trains Dedicate tracks on existing trunk lines to passenger trains, by building separate corridors for freight trains, and build separate tracks for busy suburban traffic in Mumbai and other cities where traffic is equally busy. Without slower freight and suburban traffic, fast-express trains can run at the speed limit of rolling stock, the track or railroad switch, whichever is lowest among those that apply.[1]

Dedicated Freight Corridors[1] [2]

Upgrade tracks for 160-200 km/h Upgrade the dedicated passenger tracks with heavier rails, and build the tracks to a close tolerance geometry fit for 160-200 km/h. High-speed tracks to be maintained and inspected using automation to ensure required track geometry. Perform more frequent inspection to ensure high confidence of safety at high-speed.[1][3] Design, manufacture and deploy railroad switches, with thick web construction and movable crossings that permit 50 km/h to alleviate this bottleneck to speed.[1] Upgrade locomotives and coaches Improve coaches, which can support 200 km/h, with stainless steel bodies and crash-worthy designs, incorporating passenger and crew protection, and fire-retardant materials. Equip coaches with electropneumatic brake systems to enhance safe operations at 160-200 km/h.[1]

Develop locomotives with output of 9000 to 12000 hp for hauling of 24-26 coach long passenger trains to 160200 km/h.[1]

[edit]Proposal

to introduce 250-350 km/h trains in India

The Indian Ministry of Railways' white-paper Vision 2020[1] submitted to Indian Parliament by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on December 18 2009[4] envisages the implementation of regional high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250-350 km/h, and planning for corridors connecting commercial, tourist and pilgrimage hubs. Six corridors have already been identified for technical studies on setting up of high-speed rail corridors: Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-VijayawadaChennai, Howrah-Haldia,Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Kochi, Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-Patna. These high-speed rail corridors will be built as elevated corridors in keeping with the pattern of habitation and the constraint of land. During Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tokyo in December 2006, Japan assured cooperation with India in creating a high speed link between New Delhi and Mumbai.[5] In January 2009, the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad expressed keen interest in introducingbullet-trains in India. "The day is not far off when the bullet train will run in the country" Prasad had said after getting a first-hand feel of the superfast trains travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto at a speed of about 300 km/h[6]. On a visit to India in December 2009, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama offered bullet-train technology to India. "Since its inception (in Japan), there has been no accidents. We will like to see this technology being used in India, said Hatoyama. The proposal is under discussion, according to official sources.[7] Not everyone in India is equally keen on introducing high-speed rail as the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or the former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad with some leaders expressing apprehension that regional biases might creep in in the absence of a comprehensive national policy vis-a-vis high speed railways. Two new routes were later proposed by Indian Railways, namely Ahmedabad - Dwarka, via Rajkot, Jamnagar and other from Rajkot to Veravalvia Junagadh[8]

Train

Stops Average Speed Expected

Further Extension

Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar

TBD 250 km/h

TBD

Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad

TBD 300 km/h

TBD

Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijayawada-Chennai TBD 300 km/h

Visakhapatnam

Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-Patna

TBD 350 km/h

TBD

Chennai-Bangalore-CoimbatoreErnakulam

TBD 300 km/h

Mumbai (via Hubli), Mysore

Howrah-Haldia

TBD 350 km/h

TBD

Ahmedabad - Rajkot - Jamnagar - Dwarka TBD 350 km/h

TBD

Rajkot - Junagadh - Veraval

Estimated cost

TBD 350 km/h

TBD

In a feasibility study published in 1987, RDSO and JICA estimated the construction cost to be Rs 49 million per km, for a line dedicated to 250-300 km/h trains. In 2010, that 1987-estimated cost, inflated at 10% a year, would be Rs 439 million per km (US$ 9.5 million/km).[9]RITES is currently performing a feasibility study.[10] According to news media, the costs for constructing such rail lines in India are estimated to be Rs 7001000 million per km (US$ 15-22 million/km). Therefore the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route of 500 km, will cost Rs 370 billion (US$ 8.04 billion) to build and to make a profit, passengers will have to be charged Rs 5 per km (US$ 0.11/km). Delhi to Amritsar one-way, a distance of 450 km, will cost about Rs 2000 (US$ 43.48).[11] At US$ 15-22 million per km, cost estimates are in line with US$ 18 million per km of the recently completed Wu-Guang HSR line in China. Likely initial lines

Potential High Speed Rail lines[1] [2]

In India, trains in the future with speed of 250-350 km/h, are envisaged to run on elevated corridors, to prevent trespassing by animals and people. This is an excellent way to isolate high-speed train tracks. The TGV tracks are completely fenced in and has no road crossing them at the same level. Wu-Guangs 2-tracks line is laid, 468 km on bridges, 177 km in tunnels, and 323 km on embankments. The 336 km THSR tracks are 91% on bridges, flyover, or tunnels. The current conventional lines between Amritsar-New Delhi, and Ahmedabad-Mumbai runs through suburban and rural areas, which are flat, therefore have no tunnel. Ahmedabad-Mumbai line runs near the coast therefore have more bridges, and parts of it are in backwaters or forest. The 1987 RDSO/JICA feasibility study found the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line as most promising.[9] Potential ridership As of July 2010, there are currently 49 train services on the 968 km Wuhan-Guangzhou HSR line in China, with fares from US$ 70-115 (Rs 3220-5290), or US$ 0.07-0.12 per km (Rs 3.33-5.46/km). Amritsar-New Delhi line has 22 daily services, with fares range from Rs 552-1434 (US$ 12-31). Ahmedabad-Mumbai has 32 daily services with fares from Rs 514-1475 (US$ 11-32). On the 2 Indian lines travelling cost Rs 1.14-3.19 per km (US$ 0.025-0.069/km). Project execution The National High Speed Rail Authority is being set up.[12] To put the construction in perspective, in the period 2005-09 Indian Railways took on construction of 42 completely new conventional lines, a total of 4060 km at a cost of Rs 167 billion (US$ 3.63 billion),[13] or Rs 41 million per km (US$ 0.89 million/km).[1] A public-private-

partnership mode of investment and execution is envisaged for such expensive 250-350 km/h high-speed rail project.[1] The cost of building high speed rail tracks is about Rs 70 crore per km (U$15.6m/km), compared with Rs 6 crore/km of normal rail tracks.[14] Feasibility Studies The feasibility study of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune corridor is complete.[15] On 21 March 2011, the British firm Mott MacDonald was asked to conduct a pre-feasibility study on the 993km long Delhi-Agra-LucknowVaranasi-Patna route and report back in 7 months.[16] It will cost the Railways Rs 8.8 crore for the report.[17] Kerala State High Speed Rail Project: The Kerala state government has formed a new public limited company - Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd - to implement a high speed rail network, which is estimated to cost Rs 77,000 crore. The 630-km network will connect Thiruvananthapuram with Mangalore. The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) has been appointed the nodal agency to develop the project, and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been assigned with a pre-feasibility study.<ref1>[7]/ref> The new company was formed on the basis of a pre-feasibility report submitted by DMRC. Further technical studies and economic evaluation are currently being planned.<ref2>[8] The proposed high speed corridor will have two parallel tracks in the standard gauge system as in the Delhi Metro Rail. The high speed corridor will have an alignment independent of the existing alignment of the Indian Railways. The project will be implemented as a joint venture between the state government and a private partner which will be selected at a later stage. T Balakrishnan, Additional Chief Secretary (Industry and Commerce), Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Managing Director KSIDC, and T P Thomas Kutty, Executive Director, KSIDC, are the first directors of the new company.<ref3>[9].</ref> The company will undertake detailed feasibility report for the project and identify suitable rail technology to implement the high speed corridor. Steps have also been initiated for the release of a notification for the acquisition of land needed to implement the project. The width of the land required to be acquired for the rail corridor is 13 metres. The high speed corridor will use a greenfield route to keep the rehabilitation task to the minimum.[18]

[edit]References

1. 2.

^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Indian Railways 2020 Vision - Government of India Ministry of Railways (Railway

Board) December, 2009 ^ a b Dedicated Freight Corridors & High Speed Rails, India's Ultra Low Carbon Mega Rail Projects -

Anjali Goyal, Executive Director (Budget) Ministry of Railways, India

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

^ ACHIEVING HIGHER SPEED ON INDIAN RAILWAYS ROLE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS -

S.S.Narayanan, CE/Metro Railway ^ India getting ready for bullet trains - Central Chronicle ^ BBC NEWS | South Asia | India seeks nuclear help in Japan ^ Bullet trains to run in India : Lalu - news.oneindia.in ^ TopNews.in | Japanese PM spurs bullet train dreams in India ^ Two new bullet trains ^ a b INTRODUCTION OF HIGH SPEED CORRIDORS ON I.R.: IMPACT AND CHALLENGES

BEFORE CIVIL ENGINEERS - Parmod Kumar, EDCE(G)/Railway Board ^ Bullet train: Rlys studying feasibility report - Feb 22, 2010, THE TIMES OF INDIA ^ Runaway Train. High-speed trains could be the Indian Railways answer to low-cost airlines - Nov

5, 2009, Forbes India ^ [1] ^ White Paper on Indian Railways - December 2009, Government of India Ministry of Railways

Railways will soon run bullet train: Lalu

New Delhi Fresh from a ride on Japan's famed bullet train, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Monday said his ministry was in the process of appointing global consultants for introducing the high-speed trains on certain routes. "The day is not far off when the bullet train will run in the country," Prasad told reporters. "We are in the process of appointing global consultants for introducing bullet train on certain routes," he said. About the possible routes for running such trains, he said "we are examining the possibilities of running it on some routes including Mumbai-Ahemdabad, Delhi-Chandigarh and Delhi-Patna". During his visit to Japan last week, Prasad had got a first hand experience of the fast trains travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto at a speed of about 300 km per hour. Asked about his bullet train experience, he said "It was very good. The bullet trains are well managed in Japan."

Meanwhile, the Railways have invited global tenders for conducting pre-feasibility study of high-speed train corridor on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar route. The study will focus on technicalities, financial and operational viability of the project, said a senior Railway Ministry official. Besides the Delhi-Amritsar route, the Railways have decided to conduct pre-feasibility studies for four more highspeed passenger routes. The routes are Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada-Chennai, Chennai-BangaloreCoimbatore-Ernakulum and Howrah-Haldia.

HIGH SPEED RAIL IN INDIA. February 2011 update

Hello,

This is our "HIGH SPEED RAIL IN INDIA" monthly update. If you are a frequent visitor you already know that feasibility studies for six high speed corridors will be developed. These rail corridors are the following:(Updated July 30th 2011) a) Pune- Mumbai- Ahmedabad. Completed by Systra, Italferr and RITES. Update 2 b) Delhi- Chandigarh Amritsar. c) Delhi Agra-Luknow-Varanasi-Patna. Under finalisation by Mott MacDonald (UK) d) Haldia Howrah. Completed by Ineco along with Prointec and Ayesa (Spanish consortium). e) Hyderabad Dornakal Vijayawada Chennai. Tender closed June 15th f) Chennai -Bangalore - Coimbatore - Ernakulam We have got three of stories to share with you, we hope you like it: 1. High-speed rail link connecting Bangalore to the Bengaluru International Airport cleared Bids were to be submitted by August but they were not. It hit speed breakers over the legal framework the project was to be implemented under. In 2006, the Karnataka government proposed to implement the project under the Mysore Tramway Act 1905, but with the new airport located outside the jurisdiction of the city corporation or the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike, where the Act is not applicable, the government has been forced to stall the project indefinitely while it pursues a legal resolution.

The central empowered committee has not only approved the much-awaited high speed rail line (HSRL), but also agreed to take up project on a 50:50 basis, thus, reducing the states burden. We have reached an agreement with the Central government to make amendments in the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, and after completing formalities, we will finalise the tender process by the first week of March said V Madhu, principal secretary, infrastructure development department. The work will begin in June, as land acquisition process will be completed by then, he said. 2. Full stop to Mumbai-Nagpur high speed train The cabinet had approved the proposal and a feasibility study was conducted by German consulting major Vossing. In its pre-feasibility report submitted to the government around two years ago, Vossing had said that the high speed train was a viable proposition. However, the proposal seems to have been dumped. 3. Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project cost escalates Sources said the Centre is likely to make some important announcements on the project in the upcoming Budget session of the Parliament, and the state government is keeping its fingers crossed. Sources added that the state government may allow a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, in which case the cost sharing formula may differ. The states final share in the project cost will be decided only after the Centre clears the issue, which is likely during the upcoming Budget session, they said. An official said the total base construction cost has been estimated at Rs 49,000 crore (in economical condition) and investment in rolling stock (base case) will come to around Rs 6,800 crore. This cost may increase up to Rs 85,555 crore depending on the choice of alignment and time period and other factors, an official said. UPDATE July 4th Railways is mulling to name its proposed high speed train service as TGS (Tibra Gatee Seva) on the pattern of TGV, the bullet train service in France.

Indian Railways mulls French names for high speed train service

New Delhi: Railways is mulling to name its proposed high speed train service as TGS (Tibra Gatee Seva) on the pattern of TGV, the bullet train service in France. France's TGV, which stands for 'Train Grande Vitesse' or high speed train in English, is renowned for its speed and comfort, running at 280-300 km/hour speed on five major lines. Some of the premier train services are named by Railways as Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto. Railways which is setting up the National High Speed Rail Authority to implement and monitor the high speed train project in the country is currently awarding contracts to global consultants for conducting feasibility studies of the proposed routes. "As of now we are in the process of awarding contracts for the pre-feasibility studies of the proposed high speed corridors," a senior Railway Ministry official said. As far as naming the proposed bullet trains is concerned, the official said, "No final decision has been taken yet to name it as TGS. This may be a just proposal as these trains are meant to cover distances of up to 600 km in two to three hours," the official said. Railways plans to make the high speed rail corridor into a catalyst for India's economic growth, a stimulus for the development of satellite towns and reduction of migration to cities. "We have awarded three foreign consultants to carry out studies in three corridors out of the six identified routes for conducting pre-feasibility studies for developing high speed rail corridors," the official said. The pre-feasibility studies for the corridors equipped with state-of-the-art signaling and train control system for trains at a speed of 300 to 350 km per hour in three routes are being undertaken. UK-based consultant Mott McDonald has been engaged to conduct the pre-feasibility study of the longest Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-Patna (991 km) route, while Spanish consultant Eneco has been hired to carry out studies in the shortest HowrahHaldia (135 km) route. "French consultant Systra, which has done the studies for Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad (650 km) route, submitted the report to the Railway Ministry and the report is being examined now," he said. A consultant for study of Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar (450 km) route will be selected soon as the global bid is under the finalisation. While tenders for Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Chennai have been invited and under evaluation, bids for Chennai-Bangalore-Ernakulum will be invited shortly. It is estimated to cost about Rs 100 crore to construct one km dedicated high speed corridor. As per the preliminary report, ridership revenues would be able to cover the operating cost of the project.

During the Rail Budget 2010, then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced construction of high speed passenger rail corridors. These projects will be executed through PPP mode.

Now, bullet trains in India?

Railway minister Lalu Prasad's dream to have bullet trains a la Japan [ Images ] in India [ Images ] is at last kicking off the ground. The ministry has chosen the 500-kilometre stretch between Delhi [ Images ] and Amritsar [ Images ] for a prefeasibility study along with a survey of potential users, to determine whether high-speed passenger trains would be economically viable. It is looking at running trains at speeds of 300 km per hour which would provide speedy connectivity to satellite cities. The aim is to shuttle professionals and students from Amritsar and its neighboring towns to Delhi in less than two hours, thus saving time and making it possible for them to come to study and work in the capital on a daily basis. Once the studies are done, the work on laying the new corridor, which would be an elevated train corridor, may take of by next year. The cost for setting up the Delhi-Amritsar corridor is estimated to be around Rs 25,000 crore. Currently, the fastest trains from Delhi to Amritsar take a minimum of four to five hours. The proposal for the high-speed corridor has already been sent to the Planning Commission, which has given the ministry a positive feedback. Also the ministry has written to the chief secretaries of Haryana and Punjab [ Images ] asking for participation in the project by partly financing it. The pre-feasibility report on the stretch and the passenger survey would be done through invitation of bids from consultants. Railway ministry officials say that once this stretch is found viable, then work could start on developing other proposed stretches like Mumbai-Ahmadabad and Kolkata-Patna. According to ministry sources, with satellite cities and towns fast becoming IT hubs and producing more professionals, there is a need to provide them faster connectivity to the nearest metropolitan city. Officials say that various international studies confirm that high speed trains are amongst the most fuel efficient modes of transport and also pollute little, with an annual carbon dioxide emission level of 0.6 tonnes. Therefore amongst other means of funding this plan, the ministry is apparently also looking at an option of setting up a carbon offset fund, for which states willing to participating in the project, would have to make a one time payment. The share of states would be decided after studying the emission levels of various states.

India Is Looking at the Proposal for the First Bullet Train

India is looking at a proposal presented jointly by three companies Systra of France, Italferr of Italy, and RITES of Indiato build the first bullet train using the Japanese technology in the 533-km (335 miles) Pune-MumbaiAhmedabad section in western India. The proposal will be evaluated for approval in January. During his recent visit to India, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, aware of this development, has offered his country's expertise in such modern technology, and said he would "like to see bullet train technology in India," pointing out "that Japanese bullet trains have never been involved in any accident." For a bullet train, a dedicated corridor would have to be built. The feasibility study is examining the possible alignment, fare structure, and volume of passengers in the proposed high-speed corridor. Besides the elevated route, the study will look at the possibility of and underground route for the high-speed corridor. The bullet train, at 350 km per hour (220 miles per hour) speed, aims to reduce the travel time between the western Indian cities of Pune and Mumbai to just 25 minutes, and the travel time from Mumbai to the city of Ahmedabad to less than two hours. As of now, the travel time for the Pune-Mumbai trip (93 km) is three hours, while the 440-km-long journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad takes about 7 hours.

India has one of the largest rail networks in the world. As of 2010, India does not have any high-speed rail lines capable of supporting speeds of 200 km/h (125 mph) or more, and none is under construction or planned. Fast express trains such as the Shatabdi and Duronto are often referred to as "high-speed" trains by government officials and Indian media, and trains with speed of 250 to 350 km/h are often referred to as "bullet-trains". However, there are some interests in introducing high-speed rail in India, with trains capable of 250 to 350 km/h. Speed The fastest train in India is the Bhopal Shatabdi, a Shatabdi Express train, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) and an average speed of 93 km/h (58 mph), excluding stops. The Duronto Express trains introduced in 2009, runs without stop between major cities, is projected the fastest train in India, when new services are introduced with a higher speed limit of 130 km/h. Despite limited to a much lower speed limit, it is as fast as a Rajdhani or Shatabdi on the same route (see Tracks and Speed sections). Rajdhani Express which connects New Delhi with other destinations in India was introduced in 1969, has speed up to 140 km/h. Proposal to introduce 250-350 km/h trains in India The Indian Ministry of Railways' white-paper Vision 2020 submitted to Indian Parliament by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on December 18 2009 envisages the implementation of regional high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250-350 km/h, and planning for corridors connecting commercial, tourist and pilgrimage hubs. Six corridors have already been identified for technical studies on setting up of high-speed rail corridors: DelhiChandigarh-Amritsar, Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijayawada-Chennai, Howrah-Haldia, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulam, Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-

Patna. These high-speed rail corridors will be built as elevated corridors in keeping with the pattern of habitation and the constraint of land. During Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tokyo in December 2006, Japan assured cooperation to India in creating a high speed link between New Delhi and Mumbai. In January 2009, the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad expressed keen interest in introducing bullet-trains in India. "The day is not far off when the bullet train will run in the country" Prasad had said after getting a first-hand feel of the superfast trains travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto at a speed of about 300 km/h. On a visit to India in December 2009, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama offered bullet-train technology to India. "Since its inception (in Japan), there has been no accidents. We will like to see this technology being used in India, said Hatoyama. The proposal is under discussion, according to official sources. Not everyone in India is equally keen on introducing high-speed rail as the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or the former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad. On 18 February 2008, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yeddyurappa, described a "Bullet train 'as not in the states best interest'". He also said that his government will participate in the project only if the Chennai-Bangalore High Speed Rail Link is extended to Mumbai via Hubli, with an additional link to Mysore, both being single tracks on the normal broad gauge track. He also stated that "Such projects will help only the people of Tamil Nadu and Kerala come to Bangalore and not the people of Karnataka. If our suggestions are not taken into consideration, it would be difficult for Karnataka to support the projects envisaged by the Railways."

Railways researching to see if India can run bullet train

Can India have its first bullet train that would run at a speed of 350 kms per hour? The proposal is being explored by the railways with the help of three companies, including a French and an Italian firm. The report of the feasibility study, being conducted on 533-km long Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad section, is expected to be submitted next month that will give an idea to the government whether or not to go ahead with such a proposal. "After examining the report, we will decide on the next course of action," a senior railway official told PTI. The feasibility study is being conducted by Systra of France and Italferr of Italy along with RITES. For a bullet train, a dedicated corridor would have to be built and officials estimate that each kilometre of such a train would cost about Rs100-150 crore. The feasibility study is examining the possible alignment, fare structure and volume of passengers in the proposed high-speed corridor. Besides the elevated route, study will look at the possibility of underground route for the high-speed corridor. "The cost of the feasibility study is about Rs15 crore and it is being shared by railways and Maharashtra government equally," said the official. Even while the feasibility study is underway, Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama has offered his country's expertise in such modern technology.

During his just-concluded visit, Hatoyama said he would like to see bullet train technology in India and pointed out that Japanese bullet trains have never been involved in any accident. Indian Railways will await the feasibility report of the proposed bullet train before deciding on seeking Japanese help for it. According to an estimate, it will cost about Rs100-150 crores to construct one km of elevated high-speed rail corridor. "At present there is no such proposal to seek Japanese assistance on bullet train. But it can be explored only after examining various factors including the cost and the pre-feasibility report," said the official. The bullet train at 350 km per hour speed aims to reduce the travel time between Pune and Mumbai to just 25 minutes and the travel time from Mumbai to Ahmedabad will shrink to less than two hours. Travel time between the 93 km Pune-Mumbai is three hours while journey on 440 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad takes about 7 hours. The study will focus on technicalities, financial and operational viability of the project. The proposed corridor will serve the cities of Pune, Lonavala, Kandla, Kalyan, Mumbai, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand and Gandhinagar.

Shot at bullet train to Delhi Trivedis dream: 1,500km in 6 hours

Published on September 8, 2011 by admin No Comments

Indias first bullet train b a Calcutta-Delhi service, covering 1,500km n six hours t mk Rajdhani n Duronto look k th laggard locomotives f ancient. Th project being discussed n w r looking fr finance. W r looking t a public-confidential partnership n a build, operate n transfer basis, railway minister Dinesh Trivedi t Metro. I h spoken t th Japanese ambassador (fr funding n know-hw) n h h publicized interest n th project. A f now, feasibility seems t b th n thing standing between th city n t proposed bullettrain link t th capital. Apart frm superfast engines wth pointy noses resembling planes, a bullettrain network requires dedicated tracks stretches f thm elevated without n level crossings.

At tht speed n average f 250kmph n a maximum f 300-plus kmph thr isnt n margin fr error thr. T things n perspective, th average lap speed n th greatest F1 track th season, Monza n Italy, 255kmph. Cost , f course, th deciding factor. Railway officials th estimated th budget fr th proposed project t b around Rs 200 crore per kilometre, whh facility out t Rs 3,00,000 crore fr t th Calcutta-Delhi route. Thts more thn three times th railways working expenditure fr th current monetary. S wht mk Team Trivedi believe a bullet train w soon join Calcutta t Delhi n six hours? W r looking t th h depiction. Its nt t bt connecting two cities, bt mkn a subsidiary high-speed network around th two. Mumbai n Chennai w h similar high-speed corridors, th rail minister . A senior ministry authoritative th proposal t explore th possibility f introducing bullet trains w much a reflection f th change n mindset a shift towards technologies already n n th developed world. Earlier, th first response t a proposal k th w b, Oh! Ar kidding m? n tht w b th n f t. Nt n longer. Trivedi th fares fr th bullet train service w b lower thn tht f air travel. Th average one-way airfare n th Calcutta-Delhi route currently Rs 4,500, inclusive f taxes. A n whn th first bullet train hits th tracks, satellite townships k Haldia, Durgapur, Jamshedpur n Dhanbad w b connected t Calcutta b thr high-speed trains t enable travellers t avail themselves f th nw service. Th Rajdhani n Duronto r presently th greatest trains n th country, covering th Calcutta-Delhi route n around 17 hours. Shatabdi trains r well b f thr speed n convenience. Minister Trivedi studies w soon b commissioned n th type f tracks required, availability f land n thr technical issues. A High Speed Corridor Authority being set up fr th project. Th details w b known b th n f th year, a Railway Board authoritative . Wth dedicated freight corridors already coming up, goods trains w soon b shifted frm passenger train tracks. Locomotives n tracks w b upgraded t increase th speed f express trains, mt f whh now rn t a maximum speed f between 120 t 150kmph. Th target t increase peak speed t 200kmph n th high speed network. A feasibility study n Mumbai h already trt, n authoritative .

Japan h th worlds rt bullet-train network, called th Shinkansen. A Shinkansen lines apart frm two rn n tracks tht r exclusively built fr t.