First high speed train on Delhi-Agra section in November 2014

[cirr]

You can't possibly run a commercial rail operation in the 1st week of November if the coaches of the train are scheduled to roll out at the end of October。

There are lots of tests and trials to be done on the train、the tracks、the signaling systems and the operating procedures etc before the 1st batch of passengers can board the train。

 

[HariPrasad]

The existing railway speed increase to 120 kilometers and then build High-speed Rail

We already have 150 Km Speed train. We want to boost it to 200 KMPH with existing resources and infrastructure. (Infact we have done it). Now it remains to be seen whether we reach the 300 KM+ target in incremental manner or state way by technology transfer from any country having the technology.

 

[anant_s]

You can't possibly run a commercial rail operation in the 1st week of November if the coaches of the train are scheduled to roll out at the end of October。

Actually they can. These aren't a new technology coaches but something already in use. What they actually are doing is putting a brand new rake (about 18 coaches) in place. The train in article (New Delhi Bhopal Shatabdi) has already been tested with older coaches at speed of upto 180 kmph, so operationally there in nothing new.

There are lots of tests and trials to be done on the train、the tracks、the signaling systems and the operating procedures etc before the 1st batch of passengers can board the train

New Delhi Agra track is well equipped to handle speeds upto 180 kmph along with track interlocking and signalling, so shouldn't be an issue.

Railways have already tested this track at 180 kmph.
http://www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in/works/uploads/File/17_06_04.pdf

for categorization of various tracks on IR, see this link.

 

[anant_s]

Kharge launches High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd (HSRCIL)
Railways Minister Mallikarjun Kharge today formally launched the High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd. (HSRCIL), a subsidiary of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL), that will develop high-speed rail corridors i India to run passenger trains at speeds upto 350 km per hour.

Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day international technical conference here on “High Speed Rail Travel: Low Cost Solutions”, he also unveiled the logo of HSRCIL which has been designed by the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.

Mr Kharge said that the Indian Railways currently carry more than 7 billion people annually, which is equal to the entire human population on earth . He said the Railways’ recent focus on technology upgradation had been driven largely by the objective of achieving higher levels of safety for passengers.

“Despite the fiscal constraints in upgrading the aging infrastructure and in the face of rising costs, the number of train accidents per million train kms has reduced from 0.41 to 0.13 over the past decade,” he said.

He said Indian Railways had attained speeds of 120 kmph on its Mumbai and Kolkata Rajdhani Express trains way back in 1973. In 1998, the Bhopal Shatabdi Express became India’s fastest train, attaining a speed of 140 kmph which was further increased to 150 kmph in 2006.

Meanwhile, many countries like, China, France, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Turkey, South Korea and Spain have developed high-speed rail to connect their major cities. The maximum commercial speed on most of these high-speed rail lines is 250 to 300 kmph.

He noted that, since the first such high speed rail system began operations in Japan way back in 1964 and became widely known as the bullet train, several countries have built extensive high-speed networks, and there are now several cross-border high-speed rail links.

“Most countries consider high speed capability to be in the range of 250 to 300 kmph which requires a dedicated track with fencing and can be prohibitively costly. For a country like ours track fencing also has its own set of associated issues. Thus, leveraging rolling stock technologies may provide a lower cost solution to meet the immediate needs of achieving speeds of 160 to 200 kmph and that too on the existing track,” he said.

Mr Kharge said that for speeds above 200 kmph the costlier and time consuming solution of providing a separate dedicated track with fencing would become inescapable.

“Therefore, the focus of this conference is to consider achieving higher speed trains in the range of 160 to 200 kmph with marginal inputs in the existing infrastructure.

“Achieving this higher speed train travel of 160 to 200 kmph will also need understanding of many new technologies which Indian Railways has not been extensively exposed to, such as aerodynamic profiles, light weight technologies, cab signaling etc.,” he said.


“This intermediate step can be considered preparatory to achieve high speed train travel of 250 to 300 kmph in the foreseeable future,” he said.

Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar said the Railways had undertaken pre-feasibility studies of seven high speed corridors. A preliminary study for Mumbai-Ahemdabad route has estimated its cost to be around Rs. 65,000 crore.

Mr Satish Agnihotri, Chairman of HSRC and CMD of RVNL said that HSRC would undertake project activities such as preparation of project related studies, preparation of the technical standards for HSR Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor and any other corridor decided by the Government. It will provide support to Ministry of Railways and Government of India in finalizing the financial and implementation models.

The conference is being attended by policy makers, senior administrators, rolling stock manufacturers, research institutions, consultants and industry professionals from India and abroad.


Kharge launches High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd (HSRCIL) | RailNews

 

[SarthakGanguly]

First high speed train on Delhi-Agra section in November 2014

KAPURTHALA: The first high speed train with a speed of 160 kilometer per hour will run on Delhi-Agra section in the first week of November this year as Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory (RCF) is all set to roll out first rake of fourteen coaches of the train by the end of October this year.

RCF General Manager Parmod Kumar said that shells of the first rake of high speed coaches had been manufactured and the work was going on at fast pace to roll out the first rake by the end of October this year so that the first high speed train could run on Delhi-Agra section.
RCF engineers in consultations with Research Development and Standard organizations (RDSO) had made some changes in these coaches in designing of coupler system for more smoother ride than Shatabdi and Rajdhani coaches, installation of smoke and fire detection system, and automatic sliding of inner doors besides TV infotainment system in the executive chair cars with LED fittings on the back of chair cars.
He said that the approximate cost of one high speed coach would be between Rs 2.25 to 2.50 crore.

RCF had started working on designing the high speed coaches capable of running at a speed of 200 kilometer per hour by making some changes like automatic outer doors, changes in braking system and improved vestibules.
He said that high speed coaches manufactured in RCF for Shatabdi and Rajdhani express trains are capable of running at the optimum speed of 160 kilometer per hour.

The railway board and officials of railway department had already conducted a trial on these coaches on Delhi-Agra section at a speed of 160 kilometer and covered the 200 kilometer distance in 99 minutes few days ago, he said.

He also said initially speed of these trains would be 160 kilometer on select rail routes and gradually speed would be enhanced up to 200 kilometer after upgrading the signaling system and barricading the area.



First high speed train on Delhi-Agra section in November 2014 - The Economic Times
________________________________________________________________________________________

What powers these semi-high speed trains

Locomotive
Presently WAP 5 loco is used for all high speed trains (including Shatabdi and certain Rajdhani express trains). This loco was developed by ABB for IR and is now license manufactured in India. The loco is rated at 5,350 HP and can zip upto 225 kmph where track conditions permit. This has been tested on Indian tracks upto a speed of 184 kmph.

View attachment 48305

Recent high speed test run done on NDLS Agra section one such loco was used and the same class will power all such High speed trains that government has planned.


Coaches

View attachment 48306

Indian Railway presently uses Linke Hofmann Busch (or LHB) coaches for almost all Shatabdi, Duronto and Rajdhani class trains. These coaches are capable to run upto 200 kmph and at the moment license manufacutred at RCF Kapurthala and ICF.

Track and Signalling

A major investment on High speed rail network goes on Track and Signalling. High speed tracks have gentler curves and grades. Also continuously welded rails are used along with heavier rails to allow higher dynamic forces. The tracks are cordoned off to prevent trespassing.
Presently Government is looking for certain sectors to allow such high speed services in near future.

Once implemented, these sections will allow the above high speed services, increasing comfort of passengers.

View attachment 48350

A picture of train setup similar to one proposed for high speed services consisting of a Three phase WAP 5 loco and LHB coaches.

View attachment 48308

Well, they said the Railways was a gift to India (not earned by us).
Now that can no longer be claimed.

@OrionHunter - This is a beginning. Semi High speed you see You can't get laid alone, now can you?

 

[OrionHunter]

160 kmph when trains in China and other parts of the world are running at 300+kmph!!! And this is considered an earth shattering achievement!! Nope! This is a joke!

 

[Tshering22]

160 kmph when trains in China and other parts of the world are running at 300+kmph!!! And this is considered an earth shattering achievement!! Nope! This is a joke!

Old Chinese saying goes, "A thousand mile journey begins with the first step".

Calm down and see this as a building block. For decades, Congress and other anti-Indian secularist parties have been gorging and feeding off the nation's resources while keeping all Indians divided along community lines. So there has been no development in ANY sector.

However, now that we have a legitimately Indian government that cares for the country, it has taken the first step.

Also, you get what you pay for.

If fellow Indians from other parts of India say that a Railway fare hike is nonsense, then they deserve the third class, pathetic infrastructure currently in place.

 

[RISING SUN]

First high speed train on Delhi-Agra section in November 2014

KAPURTHALA: The first high speed train with a speed of 160 kilometer per hour will run on Delhi-Agra section in the first week of November this year as Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory (RCF) is all set to roll out first rake of fourteen coaches of the train by the end of October this year.

RCF General Manager Parmod Kumar said that shells of the first rake of high speed coaches had been manufactured and the work was going on at fast pace to roll out the first rake by the end of October this year so that the first high speed train could run on Delhi-Agra section.
RCF engineers in consultations with Research Development and Standard organizations (RDSO) had made some changes in these coaches in designing of coupler system for more smoother ride than Shatabdi and Rajdhani coaches, installation of smoke and fire detection system, and automatic sliding of inner doors besides TV infotainment system in the executive chair cars with LED fittings on the back of chair cars.
He said that the approximate cost of one high speed coach would be between Rs 2.25 to 2.50 crore.

RCF had started working on designing the high speed coaches capable of running at a speed of 200 kilometer per hour by making some changes like automatic outer doors, changes in braking system and improved vestibules.
He said that high speed coaches manufactured in RCF for Shatabdi and Rajdhani express trains are capable of running at the optimum speed of 160 kilometer per hour.

The railway board and officials of railway department had already conducted a trial on these coaches on Delhi-Agra section at a speed of 160 kilometer and covered the 200 kilometer distance in 99 minutes few days ago, he said.

He also said initially speed of these trains would be 160 kilometer on select rail routes and gradually speed would be enhanced up to 200 kilometer after upgrading the signaling system and barricading the area.



First high speed train on Delhi-Agra section in November 2014 - The Economic Times
________________________________________________________________________________________

What powers these semi-high speed trains

Locomotive
Presently WAP 5 loco is used for all high speed trains (including Shatabdi and certain Rajdhani express trains). This loco was developed by ABB for IR and is now license manufactured in India. The loco is rated at 5,350 HP and can zip upto 225 kmph where track conditions permit. This has been tested on Indian tracks upto a speed of 184 kmph.

View attachment 48305

Recent high speed test run done on NDLS Agra section one such loco was used and the same class will power all such High speed trains that government has planned.


Coaches

View attachment 48306

Indian Railway presently uses Linke Hofmann Busch (or LHB) coaches for almost all Shatabdi, Duronto and Rajdhani class trains. These coaches are capable to run upto 200 kmph and at the moment license manufacutred at RCF Kapurthala and ICF.

Track and Signalling

A major investment on High speed rail network goes on Track and Signalling. High speed tracks have gentler curves and grades. Also continuously welded rails are used along with heavier rails to allow higher dynamic forces. The tracks are cordoned off to prevent trespassing.
Presently Government is looking for certain sectors to allow such high speed services in near future.

Once implemented, these sections will allow the above high speed services, increasing comfort of passengers.

View attachment 48350

A picture of train setup similar to one proposed for high speed services consisting of a Three phase WAP 5 loco and LHB coaches.

View attachment 48308

The last pic where NDLS Mumbai Central pic is taken at virar station(just on the practical border of Mumbai. Train just crossed Vaitarna river. I remember going to Delhi 2 years back by this train. It was real treat not only because its smooth speed but also catering service and fellow passengers. Wish to visit Delhi and Amritsar once more.

 

[anant_s]

160 kmph when trains in China and other parts of the world are running at 300+kmph!!! And this is considered an earth shattering achievement!! Nope! This is a joke!

Consider these as first baby steps. God willing (& Politicians permitting), we too will have genuinely fast High speed trains ny next decade or so.

The last pic where NDLS Mumbai Central pic is taken at virar station(just on the practical border of Mumbai. Train just crossed Vaitarna river.

bang on! this pic was indeed taken while New Delhi bound Rajdhani express is entering Vaitarna station (about 6 kms north of virar).

 

[RISING SUN]

I hope the speed is increased by 45 kilometers.

Mate 45 km speed increase in short run seems impossible honestly. it may touch 170 or so but above that very hard. and mind it more you push for maximum limit more energy draining it becomes and more pressure on pantograph which we seem to ignore.

 

[anant_s]

& here is the video with Train doing at 160 kmph (100 mph). This speed will gradually be increased upto 190-200 mark. An OHE maintenance van follows the train closely to take care of any eventuality at such high speed.

 

[RISING SUN]

You can't possibly run a commercial rail operation in the 1st week of November if the coaches of the train are scheduled to roll out at the end of October。

There are lots of tests and trials to be done on the train、the tracks、the signaling systems and the operating procedures etc before the 1st batch of passengers can board the train。

Train rakes, engine and track strengthening, signalling is already ready. Only trials are going on. 2nd trial just happened. It will com into active service by year end. By end of this year only 4 or 5 routes will be already in trial, it came in news a week back. I believe we are going bit fast in converting current track in semi high speed track. Although I am starting to like it. One major route which is going to test us is Konkan route, pretty dangerous to say the least. My father work in Indian railway, so I get to travel a lot.

 

[RISING SUN]

160 kmph when trains in China and other parts of the world are running at 300+kmph!!! And this is considered an earth shattering achievement!! Nope! This is a joke!

Mate there is difference, but not so much that it can't be bridged. China has many miles of HSR but they have also slower tracks and lower capacity engine too. What we lack is very high speed train. We need to upgrade our golden four corner metro tracks like highways. We need east west and south north similer connection. All cities above 5 lakhs population need to be connected with these main lines with connecting branch lines. All this should be converted to support 120 km/hour speed on average. Cities need to be connected directly with each other instead of many stoppage. It needlessly drags the average speed down terribly. Signalling should be uniform across the country. There should be a joint highway and rail route along side on every side of border.

 

[Astra-2013]

i hate superfast trains, and travels mostly in passanger trains(jaipur ratlam pass my fav ). Book a night 3AC ticket(ticket bhi sasta hota hai ) and sleep well , arrive at you destination in morning.....saali superfast trains to need karab kar deti hai

 

[Nova2]

Yesterday's trail took 102minutes to reach from New delhi to Agra,and considering that regular traffic was allowed during the test it sounds to be a good beginning,even though the original plan was to cover the distance in 90minutes. Maybe there's still a lot to do with the turns , singnalling and some other imp systems. Lookin' forward for other 8 such routes which would be operational by Nov-Dec. especially secunderabad-Nagpur route