The proposed high-speed corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be able to handle as many as 20 pairs of services every day.
“If the project is approved, it will have the potential to run these many services by 2020. But the railways may only begin with skeletal services and increase the number depending on demand,” a senior railway official said. Consultants predict that by 2040, the corridor may even be able to handle around 40 pairs of services per day.
The railways is yet to decide whether to implement the 534-km rail-corridor project, estimated to cost Rs.63,000 crore, through public-private participation or state support. Once the decks are cleared, the work is likely to take 10 years to be finished.
A senior railway official said, “The distance is ideal to run a high-speed train. If the average speed is estimated at 350 kmph, the time taken to cover the 534-km stretch should not be more than two-and-a-half hours,” Another senior official assured that the fares might be on the high side, but the amounts would remain within the reach of the common man.
The high-speed corridor will run parallel to the existing tracks. “But the trains will halt only at Surat, Vadodara and probably at Vapi,” the official said. “Each rake will carry 1,000 passengers per trip.”
A pre-feasibility study for the route was conducted by a French consultancy firm, Systra, last week when they discussed issues like passenger profile and fare structures.
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