The Railway Board has directed all the zones across the Indian Railways to make detailed project reports (DPRs) for improving various routes to 160 kmph.

The zones have been directed to present the DPRs in two months.

In a circular released on November 3 to all general managers, the Railway Board has in-principle permitted to enhance the speed of trains to 160 kmph. In 2017, when Suresh Prabhu was the railway minister, the decision was taken. Excluding a few routes, it was not executed.

The DPRs must have been asked to cover these projects in the general budget the following year. The eight routes with 9,268 km length across the nation additionally cover 2,164 km Delhi-Chennai and 1,965 km Mumbai-Howrah routes passing via Maharashtra.

North Central Railway (NCR) and South East Central Railway (SECR) have been urged to make the DPR for Delhi-Chennai and Mumbai-Howrah routes, respectively. Once in place, the travel time of trains on these sections will be decreased drastically.

The 160 kmph enhancement on the Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Howrah routes was approved in 2017-18. The work is undertaken and is likely to be done between 2023-2024.

Over the last three years, maximum speeds on various sections of the Golden Quadrilateral and the Golden Diagonal were upgraded to 130 kmph from the previous 110 kmph.

SECR’s senior divisional commercial manager (SrDCM), Vikas Kumar Kashyap, told the media that the SECR enhanced its tracks to run express or mail trains at 130kmph between Nagpur-Durg.

As per Kashyap, these works involved gradients, curves realignment, strengthening of tracks, adjustment of overhead electric lines (OHEs), rail panels, maintenance, elimination of all unmanned railway crossings etc.

The SrDCM said to enhance the tracks after the engineering department will make a DPR with say from other departments such as commercial and signalling.

Central Railway spokesperson & ACM Vijay Thool told the media that Central Railway is yet to enhance its tracks to run trains at 130 kmph. The express or mail trains move at 110 kmph while Rajdhanis run at 120kmph. Trials for 130 kmph are underway.

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