Vande Bharat: Ahmedabad-Mumbai travel in just 4.45 hours

28 Jun 2024 CW Team

In preparation for a Diwali present to regular visitors to India's financial hub, Indian Railways is preparing the track. According to Western Railway (WR) insiders, if inspections proceed as planned, the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Vande Bharat train is expected to accelerate to 160 km/h, cutting the existing 5.25-hour journey time between these two cities to just 4.45 hours. Currently, trains on this busy route go at 130 kmph on the Vande Bharat. The Mumbai-Vadodara-Delhi corridor is the focus of Mission Raftar, which includes this project. At Vadodara, this railroad connects to Ahmedabad. According to sources in Ahmedabad, a second technical examination will be carried out in July to evaluate characteristics like the train's smoothness of ride when it rumbles at 160 kmph, following the initial inspection's positive results in April. According to officials, the track's present strength of 52 kg per metre enables it to reach 130 kmph. The strength has been increased to 60 kg per metre for the testing. Between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, there are two train pairs that depart in the morning and the afternoon, one of which comes from Gandhinagar. Although the train is capable of reaching 160 mph, officials pointed out that the main obstacle is making sure the track can handle such high speeds. The possibility of livestock accidents is another significant barrier to reaching this speed. In order to remedy this, boundary walls and fences have been erected in several locations along the route. After the July inspection, the railways will have nearly four months to address the issues identified by a technical team, said officials close to the development. Sources said the train departing Ahmedabad at 6.10 a.m. currently reaches Mumbai at 11.35 a.m. After the new speed is implemented, travel time will be reduced by 45 minutes, bringing passengers to Mumbai by 10.50 a.m.

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