Hyderabad to Bengaluru & Chennai in just 2 hours: Centre proposes high-speed corridors

Excerpt: The project, modelled after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, will utilise dedicated tracks for 320 kmph trains, offering a faster alternative to air travel, considering airport formalities.

Hyderabad: Proposing a transportation system that will change commuting between the two megacities, the Centre is planning to develop a high-speed rail corridor where trains would run at a speed of 320 kmph. This would cut the travel time between Hyderabad and Bengaluru to just two hours, providing an alternative to flights.

These high-speed corridors will be constructed exclusively for bullet trains like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor. The government has proposed two corridors from Hyderabad. One is for Bengaluru, and the other is for Chennai. These corridors can provide a better alternative to flights, as the airport formalities consume a lot of time.

For faster travel, passengers currently take flights which take around 1 hour 15 minutes between Hyderabad and Bengaluru and around 1 hour 20 minutes between Hyderabad and Chennai. However, considering the airport formalities, which take hours, the total journey time becomes a minimum of 2 to 3 hours. This becomes comparable to the proposed rail corridors.

In a report published by Times Now, a senior railway official from South Central Railway described the proposed corridors, saying, "The project's survey and assessment will require Rs 33 crore. The forthcoming rail routes will exclusively serve high-speed trains, differing from conventional rail tracks that accommodate various trains, right from freight to Vande Bharat. This design follows the model of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor, which is being developed for bullet train operations.”

The tender for appointing the firm which will conduct the assessment has been issued. The company will be responsible for geological mapping, remote sensing studies, and lab testing of soil & rock samples along both corridors. The corridors will be built with the capability to operate at 350 kmph, the trains, however, would run at 320 kmph.

According to the tender notice, "While being designed to accommodate speeds of up to 350 kmph, the two corridors will operate at 320 kmph. An elevated corridor is being planned by keeping the provisions for future multi-tracking in the existing broad-gauge railway corridors. The study will broadly cover traffic studies, civil engineering studies including bridging, tunnelling, building and other structures, detailed estimate and project appraisal to arrive at the financial internal rate of return.”