The project had proposed to extend the Mumbai-Hyderabad HSR from Hyderabad to Bengaluru (618km)
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Bengaluru’s rail passengers have demanded that the central government speed up the Bengaluru-Hyderabad high-speed rail (HSR) corridor. Two HSR corridors: Mysuru-Chennai via Bengaluru (462km) and Mumbai-Hyderabad (709km) are already part of the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP). According to the Centre’s National Rail Plan (NRP), it was proposed to extend the Mumbai-Hyderabad HSR from Hyderabad to Bengaluru (618km).
The Bengaluru-Hyderabad HSR project seems to be on the slow track, according to activists. Bullet trains will travel at a speed of 250-350kmph on standard gauge lines, once the project is complete, drastically reducing the travel time between cities. According to a recent CAG audit, the average speed of mail and express trains and goods trains in 2019-20 was only 50.6kmph and 23.6kmph, respectively.
The Ministry of Railways had envisioned the preparation of NRP for 2050 and appointed RITES Ltd as a consultant. RITES hired AECOM India Pvt Ltd to prepare the study. “Additional HSR line between Hyderabad and Bengaluru by extending Mumbai-Hyderabad HSR line. This will connect Mumbai with Chennai and will also bring the likes of Jammu, Amritsar, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai on the HSR corridor. All the major towns of north, west and south India shall be connected. This will help in boosting the regional economy,” reads the NRP document.
The Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai high-speed rail (HSR) has started to finally take shape. The proposed 435km HSR network will connect Mysuru Bengaluru and Chennai hrough nine stations in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
Bengaluru-based rail activist Pruthvin Reddy, quoted by ET, said the Bengaluru-Hyderabad HSR project is needed as it will also connect to Mumbai. “Travel demand is very high on this route and travel time between Bengaluru and Mumbai will also be reduced considerably. It has a lot of potential, especially as both Bengaluru and Hyderabad are tech cities.”
At present, there is only one direct daily train — Udyan Express — which takes 23 hours and 35 minutes, covering 1,134km (33 stations) between Bengaluru and Mumbai. The average speed of Udyan Express is 48.2kmph. Similarly, going from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, which is around 600km, takes 11-12 hours by train, with an average speed of 55kmph.
A senior National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRC) official was quoted by ET saying that the ministry had entrusted the corporation with preparing DPRs for seven HSR corridors — Delhi-Varanasi (including Ayodhya), Mumbai-Nagpur, Delhi-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Amritsar, Mumbai-Hyderabad, Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru, and Varanasi-Howrah. For Delhi-Varanasi and Nagpur-Mumbai HSR corridors, DPRs have already been submitted to the railways. DPRs for other corridors are in progress. But none of these projects have been sanctioned. NHSRC is working only on the DPRs.
On the status of the Hyderabad-Bengaluru HSR corridor, the official said the ministry had to take the final decision. “We have not received any communication from them so far.” Civil work on the 508km Ahmedabad-Mumbai HSR corridor is now progressing. While the original deadline for the entire Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor is December 2023, it is likely to be completed only by 2030.
The Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai high-speed rail (HSR) has started to finally take shape. The proposed 435km HSR network will connect Mysuru Bengaluru and Chennai hrough nine stations in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd is preparing the DPR, which was planned in 2019. It will have stations at Mysuru, Mandya, Channapatna, Bengaluru, Bangarpet, Chittoor, Arakkonam, Poonamallee, and Chennai. With HSR, travel time between the three cities will be reduced to 1.5 hours. At present, Shatabdi Express covers the distance in seven hours. Two lines will have to be laid along a fenced corridor that will be 50-60m wide. While the maximum speed will be 350kmph, operational speed will be 320kmph and average speed 250kmph. Each train will carry 750 passengers.
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