Rlys to install 28 seismic readers along bullet train route

The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) is installing seismometers along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train route to detect earthquakes and protect passengers and infrastructure.

Mumbai: The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) has begun work on installing seismometers at various locations in Maharashtra and Gujarat along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train route. The seismometers – 28 in all – are part of the Early Earthquake Detection System (EEDS), which can safeguard passengers and protect critical infrastructure during earthquakes.

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Twenty-two seismometers will be placed in traction sub-stations and switching posts along the train route, including eight in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Thane, Virar and Boisar) and 14 in Gujarat (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Mahemdavad, and Ahmedabad). The remaining six seismometers, termed inland seismometers, will be placed in earthquake-prone areas of Khed, Ratnagiri, Latur and Pangri in Maharashtra, and Adesar and Old Bhuj in Gujarat.

The sites for installing seismometers were chosen after a thorough survey of areas near the bullet train route, where earthquakes greater than 5.5 magnitude occurred in the past 100 years. The survey was conducted by Japanese experts and included a soil suitability study and micro tremor test.

“These seismometers are inspired by Japanese Shinkansen technology. They will stand guard against earthquakes by initiating automatic power shutdown and activating emergency brakes,” said a senior official from NHSRCL.