High-speed local trains: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s dream project of starting high-speed local trains between Nagpur and four nearby towns namely, Bhandara, Wardha, Katol and Ramtek is soon set to see the light of the day. On July 16, 2018, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways, Maharashtra government and MahaMetro for planning and execution of the project, according to a ToI report.
The project aims to run three-coach multiple units (EMUs) to these towns with four on each route. The average speed is of 27 km per hour of Nagpur to Ramtek passenger train and the average speed is of 50 km per hour of Gondia passenger train. Under this project, the plan is to run EMUs at a speed of 120 km per hour. Moreover, for the services, the MahaMetro will use existing tracks, signalling, platform etc. of Indian Railways.
MahaMetro Managing Director Brijesh Dixit was quoted in the report saying that it is a first-of-its-kind project in India. Under this project, high-speed fully air-conditioned coaches will run. However, other formalities such as number of trips, timings, special stations, revenue sharing pattern etc will be decided after the MoU, he stated. Last week, MahaMetro operated ‘Buland’, an electrical shunting vehicle on the elevated stretch between Airport and Airport South stations, which is first of the elevated stretches where works have been completed and is all set for trial run, the report stated.
Meanwhile, high-speed rapid transit projects are being planned around Delhi-NCR. Soon, Panipat and the national capital will be connected by a Rapid Rail service. Recently, for the implementation of the project, the state government of Haryana has recently issued instructions to officers in order to prepare the Detailed Project Report. In total, the Rapid Rail service between Panipat and delhi will cover a distance of 111 km. Out of the 111 km distance, 109 km will be elevated and the rest of 2 km will be underground. Also, the national capital and Meerut will soon be connected with a high-speed Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor, which will allow passengers to complete the journey between two cities in just 60 minutes.