The Western Railway (WR) line of Mumbai division will see Long-distance express mail trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route operate at an increased speed of 160 kilometre per hour (kmph) from March, The Indian Express reported.
The news was confirmed by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Western Railway’s Mumbai division, Neeraj Verma, who said that major works have been completed and that upgrading the speed will be done in March. He added that the upgrade will allow trains running long distance to run at an increased speed. In the beginning, only premium trains like Tejas, Shatabdi, and Vande Bharat will be operated at 160 kmph, which is closer to their potential speeds. “Later, other Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB)- coach equipped trains can also benefit from the increased speed upgradation following the success of the system,” he added.
Travel time to be reduced by 30 minutes
The Western Railway Mumbai division has said that the increased speed will cut down the travel time by an average of 30 minutes.
On a typical day, Mumbai division operates approximately 170 long-distance trains, with 120 of them consisting of LHB-equipped coaches. The remaining trains are passenger services, characterised by slower speeds and more frequent station stops.
Presently, long-distance trains are subject to speed limits of 100 kmph from Mumbai Central to Borivali, 110 kmph from Borivali to Virar, and 130 kmph from Virar to Ahmedabad. However, starting from March, the enhanced speed limit will extend beyond Virar.
The speed limitation persists in the Mumbai to Virar section due to the operation of local train services, maintaining speeds between 100-110 kmph in this stretch.
As per the official, the increase in speed on the suburban section which runs from Mumbai to Virar is held back due to two main constraints. The first is that there is a curve at almost 2-3km of distance. “Secondly, if the long distance trains run at the increased speed, then the suburban platforms which otherwise see heavy human influx may have an adverse effect which is called ‘platform suction’ — due to high speed the train may take along with it, the other objects also,” the official explained.
To attain increased speed capabilities, the division is focusing on three primary areas: bolstering track infrastructure, enhancing electrical overhead wires and signals, and implementing crash barriers to deter animals from accessing the railway track vicinity.