 "Railways plans to increase speed of passenger trains")
After brooding over high speed trains running at over 300 Km/hr for many years, the Indian Railways is planning to increase the speed of its passenger trains on select networks to over 160 km/hr.
The upper limit for current running speed of the trains is 120 km/hr but slows down to an average of 90 Km/hr. In a press briefing, newly appointed Chairman Railway Board Arunendra Kumar said the cost outlay was yet to be finalized. He also said the speed of the trains can be increased without any change in ‘locomotive or tracks’.
The fundamental question over when the pilot projects would start remained unanswered. “It will be before the dedicated freight corridor comes into being in 2017,” said Kumar.
Railway would also need to make changes in its time-tables and scheduling for running such high speed trains. Kumar also emphasized that fencing is mandatory for over 300 Km/hr and other safety measures like ensuring safe level crossing need to be resolved. With minor changes in the engine design he Railway expects to run these high speed trains.
Railway officials also assured that the high speed trains will not affect the rest of the traffic. “When we were about to start Shatabdi/Rajdhani similar doubts were raised”,said a Railway official. Railways expects to manage the rest of the traffic by efficient time-tables and better signaling systems.
The upper limit for current running speed of the trains is 120 km/hr but slows down to an average of 90 Km/hr. In a press briefing, newly appointed Chairman Railway Board Arunendra Kumar said the cost outlay was yet to be finalized. He also said the speed of the trains can be increased without any change in ‘locomotive or tracks’.
The fundamental question over when the pilot projects would start remained unanswered. “It will be before the dedicated freight corridor comes into being in 2017,” said Kumar.
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Indian Railways would have to make changes its signaling and safety systems for the trains to run at such high speed. Railways is also organizing an international conference for technology and knowledge exchange later this month.
Railway would also need to make changes in its time-tables and scheduling for running such high speed trains. Kumar also emphasized that fencing is mandatory for over 300 Km/hr and other safety measures like ensuring safe level crossing need to be resolved. With minor changes in the engine design he Railway expects to run these high speed trains.
Railway officials also assured that the high speed trains will not affect the rest of the traffic. “When we were about to start Shatabdi/Rajdhani similar doubts were raised”,said a Railway official. Railways expects to manage the rest of the traffic by efficient time-tables and better signaling systems.