Vande Bharat to undergo trials at 160 kmph on Mum-Ahm route to cut travel time

In February, the WR had approached the CRS, which is part of the Ministry of Aviation, for the last leg of permission. According to WR officials, they have completed engineering works on this route along with installing 792 route km of safety barriers and now will retrofit the 16-car Vande Bharat for a trial run

Mumbai: The Western Railway (WR) has received a green light from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) to test faster Vande Bharat Express trains, slashing travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. These trains, known for their speed and efficiency, will undergo trial runs at a maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour (kmph), up from the current 130 kmph. If successful, passengers can expect to save around 45 minutes on their journeys in the Mumbai and Ahmedabad route which takes around 5 hours, and 25 minutes.

Vande Bharat to undergo trials at 160 kmph on Mum-Ahm route to cut travel time

Last week, the WR authorities carried out an important work at Boisar which was to augment the system to effectively allow running trains at the speed of 160 kmph under ‘Mission Raftaar’ project.

This will be among the first routes starting from Mumbai where Vande Bharat will operate as semi high-speed trains.

In February, the WR had approached the CRS, which is part of the Ministry of Aviation, for the last leg of permission. According to WR officials, they have completed engineering works on this route along with installing 792 route km of safety barriers and now will retrofit the 16-car Vande Bharat for a trial run.

“All the necessary works for running trains at 160 kmph have been completed on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor. It will be an achievement that an Indian-made Vande Bharat train will run on trial anytime this month,” said a WR official.

The upgrade from the current 120-130 kmph to 160 kmph will help reduce journey time by at least 45-60 minutes between the two cities. The sectors of Mumbai-Surat-Vadodara-Delhi and Mumbai-Vadodara-Ahmedabad are poised for an upgrade in speeds up to 160 kmph. The estimated cost for the project within WR’s jurisdiction stands at ₹3,959 crore out of the total ₹10,000 crore all the way till Delhi.

There are roughly 50 plus trains connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad which includes renowned trains like Vande Bharat, Tejas, and Shatabdi Express. At present long-distance trains can run at 100 kmph on the Mumbai Central-Borivali stretch and at 110 kmph on the Borivali-Virar route. From Virar to Ahmedabad, these trains can enhance the speeds.

Key engineering enhancements include the strengthening of 120 plus bridge approaches using geocells, with an additional 138 bridges rehabilitated and seven replaced by ballasted decks. They have straightened 134 curvatures along the route. Moreover the capacity of concrete sleepers on which rail tracks are laid, too have been strengthened plus these tracks have been cushioned with 300 mm of ballasts from the regular 250 mm.

Notably, the 1,479 km Delhi-Mumbai and the 1,525 km Delhi-Howrah sections are key stretches where the railways are trying to expedite train journeys. Within the Mumbai-Delhi route, nearly 50% of the total 1,379 Route Kilometers (RKM) falls under Western Railway, from Mumbai Central to Nagda (694 RKM). The remainder is divided between West Central Railways and Northern Railway.