Surat: From August 15th, trains like Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, IRCTC Tejas, Double Decker, and Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani will increase their speed from 130 kmph to 160 kmph on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. The railway administration has finalised an action plan for this upgrade.

On the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, trains will travel at 160 kmph between Virar and Surat, and subsequently to Ahmedabad. Speeds will be adjusted to 100 kmph from Mumbai Central to Borivali, and 110 kmph between Borivali and Virar.

Under the Mission Raftaar initiative, the Railways had previously planned to increase train speeds between major cities. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct inspections in July 2024 to approve the speed upgrade, which is mandatory before implementation.

To achieve the higher speed, extensive track upgrades, overhead wiring enhancements, and the installation of Kavach technology have been completed. The Railway Board has instructed Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) to finish any pending tasks by June 30, including necessary track blocks.

Key infrastructure improvements completed so far include barricade-fencing along 565 km of track, track upgrades, signalling improvements on 126 railway bridges, and overhead wire installations. Additionally, the implementation of Kavach technology and increased sleeper density aim to overcome speed-related challenges

The upgrades aim to reduce travel times for passengers. For instance, the Vande Bharat Express, currently taking 5.25 hours, will reduce its travel time to 4.40 hours at 160 kmph. Similarly, the Shatabdi Express will cut down travel time from 5.50 hours to 4.50 hours, IRCTC Tejas Express from 6.25 hours to 5.50 hours, Double Decker from 6.55 hours to 6.15 hours, and the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani from 15.32 hours to 12 hours. DeshGujarat