16.1.21

Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed rail line snippets

The preparatory work for Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed rail line seems to be moving at a rapid pace as the national high speed corporation will identify a firm to carry out a final alignment survey and fix a land acquisition plan of the 435km line next month.

The survey will be conducted on a corridor that will be 300m wide to fix the alignment.

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited  has floated a tender to identify a firm to carry out an alignment survey with aerial Li-DAR using drones or helicopters so that final alignment design can be fixed and prepare a preliminary land acquisition plan for the project.

The firm will also do hydrological studies, map the flood plains, demarcate land in such a way from the point of view of feasibility of construction, accessibility, safety in terms of finding the area free from natural disasters like flooding, landslides or earthquakes and environmental aspects along the route, said an official.

The alignment will also be fixed in such a way to have minimal impact on the people along the proposed route. The route will avoid crowded areas as the fenced line cannot have people and animals crossing it.

Tenders have already been floated to hire firms to carry out social impact surveys, power sourcing surveys, traffic study and others. Eight companies have shown interest to bid for power sourcing surveys while four companies have bid for traffic surveys.

Sources said that NHSRCL is speeding up the preparatory work by taking up survey work for more than one or two lines so that the paperwork can be completed for land and can be blocked for acquisition and construction.

"Most of the surveys will be carried out in a phased manner and may require time in spite of the deadline of close to 150 to 180days," said an official.

The high speed rail corporation will also set schedules and deadlines as the survey progresses.

As per a preliminary plan, the line will have seven stations - Poonamallee ,Arakkonam, Chittor, Bangarapet, Bengaluru, Channapatna, Mandya and Mysuru. The final alignment will decide if all these stations can be accomodated.

The high-speed train, with a capacity of 750 passengers, will run at a maximum speed of 350 kmph and an operational speed of 320 kmph and may have standard gauge tracks.

A depot to maintain the trains is being planned at Poonamallee.

The alignment survey for Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed rail will be done with aerial LiDAR using drones or helicopters

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