Kota: Amid ongoing trials of the country's semi-high speed train Vande Bharat, the Railway Ministry is upgrading the Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Mumbai tracks under the 'Mission Raftaar' programme for more such trails and regular high-speed train operations in future. It is learnt that a total of 545 km length of the twin tracks is being strengthened with an investment of Rs 2,664 crore under the Mission Raftaar programme.
Under the upgradation programme, all the turns along the rail lines will be eliminated to ensure high-speed operations otherwise constrained by such turns on a daily basis, sources said. Dara, Sawai Madhopur, Gangapur, Bharatpur, Mathura and Ramganjmandi are some of the areas where there are frequent turns along the rail lines that constrain speed.
The Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota's Dara area has the highest number of turns where the speed of the train goes down to as low as 60 km per hour. Besides, the Over-Head-Electric (OHE) electrical wires used in train operation are being completely replaced to do away with interruptions. The entire electrical system of the Vande Bharat train is also being changed to operate the trains at a speed of 160 km on the track even as the transmission is also being modified.
Also read: Vande Bharat train hits 180 kmph again between Kota-Nagda test run
Funds have already been provided to the governments in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in this regard. In another component of the Mission Raftaar programme, the main level crossing gates are being done away with for which ROBs or low-height subways (LHS) are being built. For instance, there will be no railway gate between Mathura and Nagda.
The railways have also proposed to fence the 1,100 km rail line between Mathura and Nagda on both sides as a safety measure. According to DRM Pankaj Sharma, work has already been completed on about 100 km of area. Presently, the trials of the Vande Bharat train are going on along the Kota-Nagda section at 120/130/150 & 180 Kmph. Union Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw has been regularly sharing the videos on Twitter.
According to the railways, after the completion of the trial run of 50,000 km, its report will be sent to the Railway Safety Commissioner. Following the green signal from the Safety Commissioner, the new Vande Bharat Express train will start running on another new route. Sources said the new train can be run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
According to sources, the upcoming trains will have automatic fire sensors, CCTV cameras and GPS systems to make travelling safer and more comfortable. The higher speed of these trains is up to 180 km per hour. Integral Coach Factory (ICF) has set a target of manufacturing 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 2023. The train is capable of touching 200 kmph provided it gets the necessary systems like tracks and signals, which can support that speed. The two Vande Bharat trains, which are operational are in between New Delhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Vaishnodevi Katra.
