Come November and you can travel to Agra, the city of Taj Mahal, by train in just 90 minutes, cutting the journey time by 30 minutes at least.
This has been made possible as the railways on Thursday successfully conducted the trial run of the country's fastest train that moves at a speed of 160 kms per hour.Its commercial operation is expected to begin in November, railway officials said.
An Indian railways worker cleans a coach prior to the trial run of a high-speed train between New Delhi and Agra is flagged off at New Delhi railway station (AFP Photo)
So far, Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi was the fastest train with a speed of 150 kmph.
The trial run of the 'semi high-speed train' was conducted this morning on a 10-coach train. It left New Delhi station at 11.15 am and reached Agra about 99 minutes later.However, from Nizamuddin station, where it will actually originate during commercial operations, the train took 90 minutes, Deputy Regional Manager (DRM) Delhi Division Anurag Sachan said.
The trial run of the 'semi high-speed train' was conducted this morning on a 10-coach train. It left New Delhi station at 11.15 am and reached Agra about 99 minutes later.However, from Nizamuddin station, where it will actually originate during commercial operations, the train took 90 minutes, Deputy Regional Manager (DRM) Delhi Division Anurag Sachan said.
Technical team inside the Train during the trial run of a 'semi-bullet train' between New Delhi and Agra from New Delhi railway station (Arun Sharma/HT Photo)
The time taken currently by the Shatabdi train between Delhi and Agra takes 120 minutes.
A journey by road via the Yamuna expressway takes two hours between Delhi and Agra.
After the Delhi-Agra service, Railways are expected to run similar high speed trains on Delhi-Kanpur and Delhi-Chandigarh sections."The trial run was conducted successfully and we hope to start commercial service by November," said Sachan who was involved in the exercise on Thursday.
The passenger train sets off during the trial run of a 'semi-bullet train' between New Delhi and Agra from New Delhi railway station (Arun Sharma/HT Photo)