Railway ministry rejects Delhi-Varanasi bullet train’s feasibility report

The officials said the multiple curves along the route between Delhi and Varanasi will not allow the high-speed train to run at its speed

The railway ministry on Monday rejected the proposed Delhi-Varanasi bullet train’s feasibility report, officials said.

The feasibility report presented was rejected in a review meeting that took place last week. (File image)

The officials said the multiple curves along the route between Delhi and Varanasi will not allow the high-speed train to run at its speed.

“The feasibility report proposed by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) stated that the corridor be built along National Highway-2 citing that this will help in the acquisition of land at cheaper rates and reduce the cost of construction,” a railways official said.

The feasibility report presented was rejected in a review meeting that took place last week.

However, the railway spokesperson remained unavailable for comment.

“NH-2 has multiple curves which could prove to be risky for the train to run at 350kmph,” a railways official said adding that the track for high-speed trains should ideally be straight.

Another official said that while the feasibility report of the project has been rejected, status of the detailed project report (DPR) is awaited.

The ongoing Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is delayed and expected to get all land and environmental related clearances anytime, thus leading to escalation of the project cost.

Officials said the ministry officials, in the meeting, suggested that their focus should be only on the Prime Minister’s pet project; semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains that will be running at a speed of 180- 200kmph.