The much-awaited bullet train services will soon be updated with a Rainfall Monitoring System to ensure safe operation. The automated Rainfall Monitoring System has been adopted by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) which will provide real-time rainfall data using advanced rain gauges equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation.
Each rain gauge includes a tripping cell that generates signal pulses based on the collected rain volume. These pulses are transmitted via signal communication lines to the Facility Controller System at the Operation Control Centre (OCC), where they are displayed and monitored.
The system offers two key measurements: Hourly Rainfall, which records the rainfall in the last hour, and 24-hour Rainfall, which accumulates the rainfall over the past 24 hours.
“These measurements are crucial for making informed decisions regarding train operations, particularly in areas prone to heavy rainfall and its impact on earth structures and natural slopes,” NHSRCL stated.
Regulations based on the rainfall data and threshold values for different earth structures and natural slopes will be enforced, and validated by patrolling teams from Maintenance Centres.
Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor
Six instrumented rain gauge stations will be installed along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor, specifically in Thane and Palghar districts. These stations will be located near vulnerable earth structures, mountain tunnel entrances and exits, and tunnel portals. Areas with significant cuttings and potential landslide risks will also be closely monitored, with each rain gauge covering an influence radius of nearly 10 km.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced in March that the bullet train project would be ready by 2026, with initial services between Surat and Bilimora. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor has been progressing steadily since work commenced in November 2021, despite initial delays due to land acquisition challenges.
The project, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on September 14, 2017, was estimated in a 2015 feasibility study to cost Rs 108,000 crore with an expected completion period of eight years. NHSRCL, incorporated on February 12, 2016, under the Companies Act, 2013, is a joint sector Special Purpose Vehicle with equity participation by the Central Government, the Government of Gujarat, and the Government of Maharashtra.
(With ANI inputs)