Rly invites global bids for Delhi-Amritsar route

Railways have invited global tenders for conducting a pre-feasibility study of a high-speed train on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar route.

The Railways have invited global tenders for conducting a pre-feasibility study of a high-speed train on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar route, which could cut travel time between the cities by nearly half.

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Currently, a Shatabdi Express covers the 520 km long distance between Delhi and Amritsar in five-and-a-half hours. The proposed high-speed train or bullet train is expected to run at 300 km per hour on a dedicated fast track.

A consultant will be appointed to carry out the study on the proposed high-speed corridor connecting Delhi with Amritsar, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

The study will focus on technicalities, financial and operational viability of the project.

There are many countries including Japan, China, France and Germany, which have shown interest in being part of the high-speed corridor project.

Since the proposed Delhi-Amritsar bullet train is to pass through Panipat, Ambala, Chandigarh and Jalandhar, Punjab, Haryana and Railway Ministry would share the cost of the pre-feasibility study.

The pre-feasibility study will be followed by a more detailed study focusing on traffic pattern, funding plan, stakeholders' view, fare structure and other related issues before beginning the work, said the official.

Besides Delhi-Amritsar route, the Railways have decided to conduct pre-feasibility studies for four more high-speed passenger routes. They are Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulum and Howrah-Haldia.