Indian Railways gears up to run trains at 160 km/h on Ahmedabad–Mumbai Route
NEW DELHI : Currently, the maximum speed of trains running on the Ahmedabad–Mumbai route is 130 km/h. However, this is set to change soon, as Indian Railways is advancing its infrastructure upgrade work to support train speeds of up to 160 km/h.
The railways have undertaken a major initiative to boost train speeds on the 1,450 km long Delhi–Howrah section and the 1,386 km long Delhi–Mumbai section in an effort to reduce travel time on a war footing.
An estimated ₹3,950 crore has been allocated to Western Railway for this task. As part of the project, a fencing wall is being erected along the 595 km Mumbai–Ahmedabad section at an estimated cost of ₹226 crore. This fencing aims to ensure uninterrupted train movement and prevent accidents caused by animals such as cows and buffaloes straying onto the tracks.
To support 160 km/h operations, bridge approaches on 126 bridges have been strengthened using Geo Cells.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the following works and surveys are underway to enhance the speed and capacity of the Delhi–Mumbai route,
- The project to raise sectional speeds to 160 km/h has been sanctioned and is in an advanced stage.
- Of the 1,386 km route, 196 km already has four rail lines, and construction of the 3rd and 4th lines between Dahanu Road and Virar (64 km) is underway.
- Surveys for the 3rd and 4th lines on the remaining 1,126 km section have been sanctioned.
- 1,404 km of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (double line) has been commissioned, with work underway on the remaining 102 km section.
- Construction of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor (double line), covering a length of 508 km, is also in progress.
Between 2014 and 2024, 165 road overbridges and 779 road underbridges have been constructed in Gujarat. Additionally, 1,264 unmanned railway crossings and 614 railway gates have been closed. Notably, 100% of the 4,640 km of broad gauge railway lines in Gujarat have been completed.